Achieving Morality Essay Example for Free

Achieving Morality Essay The external factors play a huge role in shaping one’s decisions. One may think that his genetic and background history has the most influence on his actions, but in reality, the intensity of a given situation has greater impact in the choices of the individual. The surroundings one lives in ultimately influences his perception, decision, and morality. In his essay, â€Å"The Power of Context,† Malcolm Gladwell states how it is the little things in life that makes the bigger difference and in many aspects this is true. In Daniel Gilbert’s essay, â€Å"Immune to Reality† he talks about how human perception about reality is not always accurate. In Oliver Sacks’s essay, â€Å"The Mind’s Eye† he shows how there are many different perceptions to view the world. So at the same time, is it possible to dictate what is right and wrong in one’s life if all the decisions are a result of his given situation and surroundings? Also the morality for each person varies depending on their circumstances and perception of their world. Ultimately, an absolute form of right and wrong does not exist because the context of the situation always changes, but still it is possible to achieve an applicable standard of morality in society. Each individual has his own way of looking at the world that is completely unique when compared to the way another person does. This is perception of reality and this form is always open to discussion because the person generates this viewpoint. Each individual makes his decisions based on his perception of the world. â€Å"The processes by which we generate positive views are many: we pay more attention to favorable information, we surround ourselves with those who provide it, and we accept it uncritically (Gilbert 134). In many instance one creates his own perception to suit his way of thinking, so the individual could be in the center of his world. â€Å"He seemed to regard this loss of visual imagery as a prerequisite for the full development, the heightening, of his other senses† (Sacks 304). Most people see becoming blind as unfortunate event, but according to this person it helped him to improve his other senses. â€Å"The tabloids dubbed Goetz the subway vigilante an d the death wish shooter† (Gladwell 153). Rather than seeing Goetz as a lunatic the newspapers depicted him as a hero. So this shows the difference in perception between people and how it varies from individuals. Importantly since each person’s perception varies it is hard to claim whose perception is right or wrong because ultimately is there a â€Å"right† perception of the world that everybody should be following? Even when viewing a painting everybody has their own interpretation of the art. No one claims there is only one â€Å"right† perception; rather the different perceptions are simply different approaches towards looking at the world. â€Å"It was simply inconceivable that someone could pull a gun on someone else on the subway and be called a hero for it.† (Gladwell 154) shows how different viewpoints affect the verdicts of a situation. A hero to some people might be a villain to others and it is hard to claim who is the â€Å"right† hero. The difference in subjectivity among people will always create a discrepancy of opinions among people. Since a variety of perception exists, then is it possible to have a perfect set and stone â€Å"right and wrong† rules in life? The context of a given matter plays a huge role in deciding the morality of the event. Morality is very much depended on the background information of the event. It is very hard to dictate the morality of an issue without seeing the bigger picture. Most people might see stealing as a wrong act, but what if someone stole a piece of bread in order to make sure he does not die from starvation, is that still a wrong act? In a situation like that one might feel sympathetic to that poor fellow and probably will see stealing as reasonable in that given situation. â€Å"We do not realize that our views will change† (Gilbert 135), the idea of morality varies on the situation because the context of the event directly affects morality. â€Å"Blindness now becomes for him a dark paradoxical gift. This is not just compensation, but a whole new order, a new mode of human being† (Sacks 305), in many aspects blind people do not see their condition as a curse or burden rather a different approach towards living and for most sighted people it might be hard to understand and accept this approach. â€Å"That there are instances where you can take normal people from good schools and happy families and good neighborhoods and powerfully affect their behavior merely by changing the immediate details of their situation† (Gladwell 162) this shows how the little details of an event plays huge role in the outcomes of an event. Essentially, context of a situation is what dictates morality and it is going to be almost impossible to label morality as set and stone as something like the Ten Commandments because the context always changes. Even though the standards of morality vary according to the situation there are some aspects of morality that one subconsciously accepts. Some ethics are universally considered wrong and one’s mind without even one knowing already knows that some choices are not right. That is why the mind tends to usually question the choices one makes. â€Å"When we cook facts, we are similarly unaware of why we are doing it, and this turns out to be a good thing, because deliberate attempts to generate positive views† (Gilbert 134), subconsciously to some extend individuals are aware of the morality behind an action and this will help individuals to make their decisions wisely. â€Å"To what extent are we our experiences, our reactions shaped, predetermined, by our brains, and to what extend do we shape our own brains† (Sacks 303), There are some emotions and judgments that are simply preinstalled in one’s mind which aids an individual in making choices that are difficult. â€Å"After a while the bad guys wised up and began to leave their weapons home and pay their fares† (Gladwell 157) this shows how there is a consciousness inside individuals that helps in guiding with decision making. When making a choice that might inflict pain to us or others one’s mind will usually try to suggest against that decision. That is why the idea of taking an innocent person’s life is universally seen as a wrongful act in societies. Therefore, there is a sense of unconscious morality that lies within the hearts of most individuals. Achieving a complete form of morality is a very idealistic thought because practically it’s not possible. There are infinitely many ways of perceiving morality and it would be impossible to set a standard that would suit all the time. â€Å"Too often people with sight don’t see anything† (Sacks 310). There are parts that even one’s eye sometimes cannot capture meaning that sometimes it’s simply not possible to account for all the possibilities. â€Å"The benefit of all this unconscious cookery is that it works, but the cost is that it makes us strangers to ourselves† (Gilbert 135). People sometime engage in activities without being aware of the magnitude of the situation. †They are both based on the premise that an epidemic can be reversed, can be tipped, by tinkering with the smallest details of the immediate environment† (Gladwell 157) the intensity of the situation has a huge influence on the decision of the individual. Due to all this, perceiving morality completely would be very difficult. Also having a perfect morality would require infinite knowledge which humans do not possess. As an individual one is limited at what he observes at a given time and there are limitations for each individual in this world. However, through the perceptions of many individuals, people will be able to come up with a better understanding of morality. Even with the limitations each individual has a small understanding of morality in the back of his head. Essentially, when all these understanding that are possessed by individuals are combined then a suitable set of standards will be formed that can accompany most situations. The collective effort of people will help to generate a better set of morality that will help in creating a peaceful environment for people to live in. That is why it is important to have many different perceptions of morality because they all eventually lead to creating appropriate rules that will be suitable for the well-being of a society. Despite not being able to have an absolute morality with infallible accuracy and with infinite knowledge, an applicable method of sensing morality is still practical. Individuals lack the ability to have a perfect morality because for one to acquire it in completion one needs to possess infinite amount of knowledge. Despite this back drop each individual innately has the ability to know morality in small parts and therefore combining the small parts of every individual will help to achieve a suitable set of codes. The differences in perception between people only aids to benefit humans in portraying a better understanding of morality. That is why it is important that there are different types of perceptions because if there was only one view then a very limited and narrow minded principle would be prevalent in the world. The different pathways of thinking done by people finally leads to achieving a suitable mode of morality. An absolute form of morality will never be possible in this imperfect world, however, that does not mean accomplishing a reasonable standard is impossible.

A Report On Dabur India IT Systems Information Technology Essay

A Report On Dabur India IT Systems Information Technology Essay Dabur India Limited is Indias fourth largest consumer packaged goods company in India. They offer a wide range of specialization in health care products, personal care and food care products. Over the years, Dabur has clearly maintained its monopoly as one of the prime leaders in Indias fastest moving and developing fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). The dominance of Dadur was such that it was impossible for the Indian public to do away with their products- May it be their Chvanyaprash, honey or Glucon-D or for that matter even their dantmanjan or their shampoos. Today Dabur is arguably the worlds largest leader in ayurveda with a portfolio of over 250 herbal/ayurvedic products. It includes five flagship brands with distinct identity as their FMCG portfolio. Dabur today operates in key consumer products categories like  Hair Care, Oral Care, Health Care, Skin Care, Home Care  and  Foods. The company has a wide distribution network, covering over  2.8 million retail outlets  with a high penetration in both urban and rural markets. It has always been a challenge for Dabur to keep moving at pace with which the Information Technology (IT) sector is moving, but over the past few years the investments put in for IT by Dabur is enormous and noteworthy. Some of the IT initiatives implemented by Dabur was high appreciative- They migrated from using baan and mfg ERP systems to centralized ERP systems from 1st April 2006 in all its business units. It implemented a country wide new WAN infrastructure for running centralized ERP system. It also rolled out many new IT services to its new plants and CFAs. The prime objective of this assignment is to study the use of ERP in Dabur India Limited. A detailed analysis is given below Daburs IT initiative Dabur India has always been a firm believer in technology. To some extent, the vast use of information technology by Dabur has helped them to spread their distribution system across India and all over the world. It has also helped them to cut down on cost and increase profitability. Some of the major IT initiatives of Dabur are- Dabur implemented SAP ERP system from April 2006 for all its business units, a more advanced ERP system than the earlier Baan and Mfg ERP system. Installed a country wide WAN infrastructure for running centralized ERP system. They opened up their new data centre at KCO head office. Extension of reach system to distributors for capturing secondary sales data. Some of the future plans for Dabur are mainly focused on SAP ERP system. Integration with distributors and stockists using SAP Backward integration of SAP with suppliers. Implementation of SAP HR and pay roll. SAP ERP system ERP is a software which is pre dominantly designed to felicitate ease of enterprise operations. MYSAP is the most commonly used application of SAP by Dabur India. Normally ERP software does not discharge the functions properly if the organization does not adapt to the change. The possibility of the problems may be from technical to managerial. MYSAP is one such application from SAP which is designed in overcoming the above mentioned drawbacks. It is also compactable to all functions in an organization. It also helps in better performance and better integration. The main advantages of a MYSAP application are It is Transparent and flexible application- This can be easily accessed by any staff in the organization, from the top management to the technicians. Arguably this system boosts the morale of the employees and results in better performance. A complete understandable solution- This system includes almost all part of the organization like reengineering, organizational dynamic etc. This in turn makes the job of the vendor easier. Helps to achieve good governance- MYSAP ERP provides the necessary inducement thus helping the organization in good governance. It also provides some special applications that help the management to keep track of the functions performed and also monitor the financial transactions. It also helps the organization to take quick and effective decisions. It also helps in cost reduction Reduction of risks. It also felicitates good overall business transformation. SAP-A Boost to Dabur India A study conducted by Accenture states that high performance business invest in the state of art IT like ERP software are the most important in order to be able to leverage it for strategic cost management and effective collaborations with the customers. Dabur has linked its corporate headquarters, 12 manufacturing units and 30 distribution centers with SAP ERP system. They had a three phase ERP improvement model- Correcting the transactional and management information systems. Conducting change management and synchronizing its business processes with reliaties in an ERP context. Developing value realization project. The use of SAP ERP system was immense such that they even developed a web based demand planning and trade promotion forecasting tools and installed point of sale software at select retail outputs. This helped Dabur to integrate with the customers into its IT network and gather real time market information that would result in better sales. Dabur has been immensely successful in implementing strategic and operational changes which have led to much higher amount of performance. The shoot up of their annual sales was noteworthy. Their profits too increased by a considerable amount. It even developed a new sales force structure which has enhanced productivity. These initiatives are slowly allowing Dabur to leverage IT as a strategic asset and are ensuring a constant availability of IT talent regardless of business demands. It is to be noted that all of these efforts are aimed at achieving operational excellence and performance. SAP has helped Dabur in identifying opportunities based on consumer needs, tailoring product for that people and expanding with the segment, retaining its overall leadership position. Dabur India has tied up with Countrys leading IT provider Accenture, both these companies are designing an application outsourcing approach thus transforming application development and maintenance to help themselves to achieve performance. Conclusion By implementing a SAP ERP system, Dabur India has helped itself in retaining the position as a growing leader in the fast moving consumer goods section (FMCG). Its move to disable the baan and Mfg ERP was seen as a highly innovative move. This has also enabled them for better sales forecasting and improvement in their sales after the implementation of SAP raised several eye brows. The move to make this system available for all the employees starting from the top management to the bottom strata has what made Dabur distinguish itself from the other companies in the FMCG sector. With the implementation of MYSAP, Dabur has been able to make some very important strategic decisions and thus increasing its productivity. As mentioned above, implementation of ERP has helped Dabur to increase its productivity; it means that there is obvious, rise in profitability too as both is directly proportional. One may say that the ultimate strength of Dabur is they are keeping themselves with latest happenings across the IT field. They even plan to integrate distributors and stake holders using SAP. The most challenging part from Dabur would be link HR with SAP. They are planning to implement a SAP HR and pay roll pattern. All the above mentioned initiatives would enable Dabur grow even bigger as what it is now and become a global leader in the FMCG sector.

The Role of Mental Variation in Cognitive Science :: Cognitive Sciences Scientific Essays

The Role of Mental Variation in Cognitive Science ABSTRACT: What is the role of mental variation in cognitive science? I will attempt to answer this question by dividing it into two separate questions: (1) what role does mental variation already (or implicitly) play in cognitive science? and (2) would cognitive science benefit by inquiring (explicitly) into the role of mental variation? I will attempt to show that mental variation already plays an important (though not always explicit) role in cognitive science. Additionally, I will suggest that explicating the role of mental variations in cognition may be seen as a vital component of maintaining the strength of certain approaches and "schools" of cognitive science. (1) Preliminary Remarks (a) Introduction What is the role of mental variation in cognitive science? I will attempt to answer this question, as it often happens in philosophy, by dividing it into two separate questions: (1) What role does mental variation already (implicitly) play in cognitive science? and (2) Would cognitive science benefit by inquiring (explicitly) into the role of mental variation? I will attempt to show that mental variation already plays an important, although not always explicit, role in cognitive science. Additionally, I will suggest that explicating the role of mental variation in cognition may be seen as a vital component of maintaining the strength of certain approaches and "schools" of cognitive science. To illustrate this, let me present the relevance of variation in disputes between the connectionist and more traditional theories of cognition. The dispute between more traditional (propositional and "language of thought" based) understanding of cognitive science and recent connectionist theories may be seen as centred, in part, on the role of variation (manipulation) in cognition. More traditional account would appeal to the fact that the correspondence between formal languages and propositional content may be seen as dependent upon the combinatorial structure of strings of symbols. Thus, one may claim that sentences have parts with both fixed and adjustable meanings and that we form new meaningful sentences by rearranging these parts in new combinations. In this case, the ability to vary parts of structured sentences may be seen as quite significant: this ability would help us account for our understanding of propositions we never encountered before. Instead of appealing to the paradigms of cognition which involve either strings of symbols or some sort of propositional structure, connectionists would rather appeal to some type of neural architecture. They argue that the properties of some sort of functional networks in cognition represent the properties of neural activity much closer than the properties of any sequential symbol-processing system.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The central theme is a comparison of the corrupting influence of wealth to the purity of a dream. Tom and Daisy Buchanan both lead purposeless lives that are filled with corruption through wealth, while Gatsby lives his life striving towards his dreams. They all either have no purpose in life to begin with or lose all purpose and values due the actions of another. All of the wealthy characters, including Gatsby, use people and things and then discard them as trash..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom is probably leads the most purposeless life out of the three with no career. He spends his day’s playing with polo ponies and race cars. He has one affair after another and treats his mistresses of these affairs as if they were only toys. When he realizes that Daisy if having an affair with Gatsby he becomes enraged and comes back to his wife. After Daisy kills Myrtle they fleet together, neither claiming any responsibility for her death. This all shows that Tom is leading a purposeless life with no long-term goals or dreams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Daisy, who is born and marries to wealth, also has no real values or purpose in life. She spends her life floating from one social scene to the next with, with all things about her resembling her money. She treats everyone, including her daughter, as toys that she uses for her entertainment. She goes off and has an affair with Gatsby simply to relieve her boredom. Even with all the money and possessions Daisy has no thoughts of what she will do with her purposeless life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gatsby is the only one of the three who is not corrupted by his wealth. Although he has a large mansion, drives flashy cars, and gives extravagant parties, he has amassed none of it for himself. Everything he has achieved in life he has done to fulfill his dream, to prove to Daisy that he is worthy of her. When Daisy shatters his dreams by choosing Tom over him, Gatsby has no need for his possessions. Once he loses Daisy, Gatsby also begins going through life with no purpose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of the wealthy characters, including Gatsby, use people and things and then

gatjay Romantic Jay Gatsby of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Romantic Jay Gatsby of The Great Gatsby Doesn't it always seem as though rich and famous people are larger-than-life and virtually impossible to touch, almost as if they were a fantasy? In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Jay Gatsby as a Romantic, larger-than-life, figure by setting him apart from the common person. Fitzgerald sets Gatsby in a fantasy world that, based on illusion, is of his own making. Gatsby's possessions start to this illusion. He lives in an extremely lavish mansion. "It is a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." (5) It models an extravagant castle with a European style. Indoors it has "Marie Antoinette music-rooms and restoration salons." (92) There is even a "Merton College Library, paneled with imported carved English oak and thousands of volumes of books." (45) There is even a private beach on his property. He also has his own personal hydroplane. Gatsby also drives a highly imaginative, "circus wagon", car that "everybody had seen. It is a rich cream color with nickel and has a three-noted horn." (64) It has a "monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes, supper-boxes, tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields and a green leather conservatory." (64) Amidst Gatsby's possessions, he develops his personal self. His physical self appearance sets him apart form the other characters. His smile is the type "that comes across four or five times in life. One of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it." (48) He has a collection of tailored shirts from England. They are described as " shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel." He has shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange, with monograms of Indian blue." (93) Gatsby wears a unique " gorgeous pink rag of a suit" that sets him apart as a "bright spot." (154) Gatsby's mannerisms are different too. He gives the "strong impression that he picks his words with care." Gatsby is an "elegant young roughneck

Psychology and Christianity Essay

An integrative approaches to Psychology and Christianity by David Entwistle explains the fundamental question whether Christians can take a place in psychology. By marrying both scientific and theological disciplines, the author takes a stand to argue that psychology and Christianity can help an individual to serve the Lord within the parameters of duty to love. In this book, Entwistle gives a concise understanding for the interplay between theology and science by taking us through the historical analysis of psychology and how it explains how individuals have their characteristics, qualities and talents which help them serve God and society (p 35-37). Arguably, a person cannot be an effective psychologist without the basis of what is right with is captured in Christianity as a moral concept. With regard to these, our society is shaped by history as well as environment. The knowledge we acquire throughout our existence is inspired by our past experiences. Significantly, Christianity has facilitated how we structure our mindsets over various moral issues in the society. To bridge the gap between Christianity and psychology, Entwistle argues that there are five important paradigms that show the interplay between theology and psychology. This includes spies, enemies, neutral parties, colonialists as well as allies as elements serving ones master called sovereign (p39). The argument presented by Entwistle articulates the concept that psychology resembles theology in line with goals and serve fundamental human purposes of improving as well as giving meaning to the life of a human being. The two disciplines revolves around human functioning and nature hereby, an integrative approach to psychology and Christianity underscores that when it comes to dealing with human life and truth, there should be a unified approach that uses both secular and sacred elements of thinking. With regard to these, both psychology and Christianity need to be integrated because life at large revolves around helping others with issues that promote quality lives and harmony in the society. Critical and Concrete Responses After reading an integrated Approach to Psychology and Christianity, I was led to thinking that the understanding of God and psychology relates coherently to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I agree with the argument because my experiences in the past have acquired as a result of my environment and needs as a human being which moves closer to the relevance of psychology in the life of human beings. Similarly, the feeling of self-actualization is realized through a Christian’s association with God through divine moment of prayer, fellowship and engagement in charitable works because the Bible stipulates that such gestures will grant one an eternal life. On the same note, psychology understands that self actualization is a need that must be met after all the other seven basics ones have been met. Entwistle asserts that both eternal life and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs portend single ideas of achieving in life and feeling the sense of achievement. The truth revealed in the word of God and the various works of Jesus Christ as well as the Christian ministry is something that is characterized in my life. Arguably, life revolves around all these and it is somehow impossible to separate it from life in a Christian perspective. Equally, my life experiences have led me to conclude that certain things in life should be done in my own way. Accordingly, there are many times I have learnt from my experience and have faced many consequences as a result of my choices. In view of this, Entwistle asserts that doing things the way we want articulate the psychological belief of emotions, socialization, intelligence and human needs. However, this argument raises the question of conflicting forces between our beliefs and human desires. As Christianity stipulates how we should behave in line with morality, psychology justifies why we must attend to our human desires. As such, an integration approach to life should cover both Christian teachings and the sentiments echoed by psychologists (pg 59-63). I was a temperamental person who for years reprimanded people for wronging me. Although I justified my case by arguing that I respect my feelings and that is me, God called upon me to change my temperament by managing anger so that I can accommodate others. God’s intervention in this case harmonized how I lead my life because; I was able to strike a balance between my religious beliefs and human desires. Most significantly, managing a balance, or rather moving my hot tempers to reasonable levels necessitated the intervention of counseling services. Accordingly, I embarked on regular counseling with gave me an insight on how to understand other and tune my emotions to the levels that accommodate others feelings. This way, the book an integrated approach to psychology and Christianity, underscores the importance o integrate theology and psychology. Somehow, psychology helps Christians to understand their human face and through services such as psychotherapy, counseling, a Christian will be able to moderate the psyche of the soul as well as the soul of psychology. Personal Reflection Although Entwistle advocates for s linkage in the two disciplines and goes ahead to propose that Christians should integrate science theology in viewing issues of life, it becomes critical to the Christians because one question that is raised is how can Christians be motivated to use psychotherapy and counseling services as a way of integrating psychology and Christianity. Entwistle asserts that moral concepts of live are well explained in Christian doctrines and through psychology, such moral doctrines can be well explained and a Christian will consciously understand the essence of being a Christian. However, the book fails to recommend how counseling can be promoted and how psychotherapy and other psychological services can be enshrined in the Christian education. Accordingly, the question of how we as Christians should accomplish the goal of promoting the integration of science to theology takes the center stage of the entire debate that Entwistle engages in concerning reaping the full benefits of integrating psychology and Christianity. Arguably, Entwistle uses words that further complicate the message of integrative approach to psychology and Christianity. In essence, this makes it difficult for an average reader to appreciate the information being conveyed let alone retention. In addition, it plausible to note that as a reader I found it hard to grasp the interests as well as concept of integrating psychology and Christianity because of the fact that the book is written broad view hence it seems to argue in circles around the importance of using both psychology and Christians teaching. Recommended Action Owing to this weakness of language and jumping around ideas, there are measures that can be taken to help us benefit from the Christian psychological integration. Advising others on how to benefit from counseling will form the fundamental action that spearhead the campaign for integrating Christianity and psychology. In this view, sharing some of my experiences with regard to how I have benefited from counseling to succeed in my Christian faith and life at large will work in helping in the whole initiative of promoting such kind of integration. If possible, all counselors who happen to be Christians should uses their positions to root the belief of integrating Christianity and psychology into other Christians and equally work with other counselors to devise methods of overcoming challenges that may come with their initiatives. At the same time, the basis of my intervention will revolve around moral maturity. As such, it is recommended that encourage Christians to search for the truth and thus understand for themselves how best they can use psychology to succeed in their lives and Christian works. In a nutshell, Entwistle espouses that it is only through a concise integration of both science and theology that Christians will embrace the concept of togetherness. In other words, they will understand how humans functions and thus structure their spiritual beliefs in a realist way to avoid the self conflict that is always inherent among many believers. Psychology signifies the many teachings that are typical to Christianity such as values. Reference Entwistle, D. (2004). Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christian. New York: Wipf & Stock Publishers

Psychological Survival †Cohen and Taylor Essay

1) Aim of the study Obtain a phenomenological picture of long term imprisonment i.e. the analysis of the every day life of long term prisoners. The smooth patterning of every day life is the result of social interactions and learning about routines and the different domains of life. But some situations are outside the routines (death, sense of self or world view threatened). Disturbed orderliness brings meaning of life into question and often individuals rely on a different domain. Long term prisoners cannot do this. Theirs is a life in cold storage. Psychologically hard to deal with life outside. Some people go in when 20 and don’t leave before they’re 40, so a lot has gone on in everyday life and they’ve missed it. 2) Cohen and Taylor not really interested in the crime committed and the moral issues behind it. They are just interested in how prison affects this group of people. Society has been taken away from these people. Some of the people are well known, but they put aside what these people have been convicted on, they just want to know about their psychological survival. 3) Life inside Metaphor of a submarine: Impregnability, empty, claustrophobic, lifeless, bland no natural light, TV cameras. Things we take for granted in normal life, sociability and privacy, are not there. Not many friends you can have or choose to have. Relationships between guards and prisoners, maybe from a similar social backgrounds, have a lot to talk about. In the E-wing case there was a very pronounced geographical divide, north and south. Prisoners have a public profile outside, quite famous and it sets them aside from the guards. A sense of celebrity in some of the prisoners. This creates a division between guards and prisoners. New power dynamic. Not only hard to create and maintain relationships inside hard to do so with the external world. The prisoners were more worried about getting letters rather than receiving them. No physical contact, e.g. members of your family. Not allowed to talk about conditions in the prison maybe that is why they wanted to get their stories heard with Cohen and Taylor. Isolating experience. 5) different people fulfil different social roles. Obviously there was a small pool in prison. One friend had to fulfil many different roles, which made friendship very strong and intense. Some people were moved constantly and losing your one friend can be traumatic. Intensity of relationships and falling out, which will have an impact on the group and on you. No privacy no time. Can’t develop intimacy with other people. Constantly surrounded by others. Interactions regulated within the group to make sure nobody got harmed. 6) time means different things. For us it’s a resource. Living the present they don’t face or think of the 20 years ahead. Marking time in different ways: mood, seasons, unusual markers. Make time pass faster: body building, university courses, etc. promise of a visit. 8 weeks visit for e.g. 7) deterioration obsessive concern about their physical and psychological condition. 8) history of riots, rebellions and security. Cohen and Taylor interested in solidarity. The resentment towards guards held the group together, helped with bonding. Fight back together. 9) authority and unity different situations lead to different types of solidarity 10) fighting back 11) different criminal careers lead to different ways of psychological survival. Notes from a lecture and seminar on Psychological Survival.