Organisational Behaviour and Team Work in Business

Organisational Behaviour and Team Work in Business INTRODUCTION The assignment brings out the discussion over the organisational behaviour in life experience of team work in organisation or in classroom activities. Organisational behaviour in a team work plays a vital role and it is the topic has been discussed for a very long time and now nearly everyone knows about its concepts. Simply the organisations wont perform but the one person or many people. When it comes to organisations there should be a team work and perform individuals cant perform whatever they want in an organization they have to form a team and perform individually as well as teams. So when forming a team, organizational behaviour influences toward its success. Organizational Behaviours is the key aspect to maintain and enhance interaction levels amongst people in the organizations. Other attributes like leadership, motivation, decision making, openness to discuss problems, challenge-initiative is all in the base concept of Organizational behaviour to help the business achieve its strategic and in some business objectives. The proper definition of organizational behaviour with its understanding and management has resulted in development of few key offshoots to the concept of Organizational behaviours In my view a personality behaviour means how can we describe a person, how this person differences from the others behaviour, how we can measure the characteristics and differences. Psychometrics is also the most important related to the assessment and measurement of the personality, aptitude, intelligence. It is like the unique character of the individual and measure and understands the differences between the individuals. I think the term itself indicates the properties of behaviour which are both enduring and set the individual apart from others. These properties concern the individuals typical ways of coping with life. I am going to explain a few words about the group because it will explain the importance of individual in the group. The group may spend a lot of time on the each stage, but some groups never reaching the final stages because the personality and levels of dominance of each member may play a large part in the failure or success of the group and its ability to progress through the different stages, the time goes by changes occur, such as new members joining the group or old members leaving the group may re-enter the cycle and begin the development of the process all over again. In this assignment i am going to use the Leadership theory and Motivation Maslows theory. These theories are best suitable for my opinions or views that are raised in my experience and i like those theories a lot so the two theories are chosen. Let me start with those theories Leadership theory A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Leadership is one of the most hotly debated topics in management studies, social psychology and organisational psychology (Pfeiffer 1993). Despite the depth and breadth of debate concerning leadership effectiveness, it remains an elusive construct. As a result, researchers and practitioners have not reached a consensus on a true and concise definition that represents an accurate depiction of effective leadership in all situations and possibilities. The leadership is one of the effective concepts and well defined as: Treat people with politeness, respect and dignity and in doing so create a strong role model for others to follow. Building a reputation of fairness gives you a buffer against the times when the policy is wrong or you behave badly Gratton (2000:206) According to Nathan F. Iannone, leadership can be defined as the art of influencing, directing, guiding, and controlling others in such a way as to obtain their willing obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation in accomplishment of an objective. Leadership is about the future and about how do I tap into the group orientation (into what everybody shares). According to Jago (1982) the quality and the qualified, good leaders are not born instead they are made with the influenza ion of the training and the self-assessment, developing skills by improvising others. The natural people ability is also evaluated as a measure of walk their talk. The fascination of the leadership is much higher in terms of the charismatic leader. The leadership based on this charismatic model is really being focused towards the vision and also the ability and the talents are naturally born and also termed as gift. The natural leader adapts the tapping of their inner resources and also natural leaders are more often generalist (Stonefield, 1992:3). The leadership theory based on this contingency model states that there is no particular model of leadership which suits as appropriate in all times of situation. The variables are the basic elements and the preliminary components which determine the success rather than the leadership style which we intend to follow or insist. The leadership has a quality in order to follow the vital roles and also in order to perform the action depending and assessing the situation through various means (Cherry, 2010). The trait approach to personality is one of the major theoretical areas in the study of personality. The trait theory suggests that individual personalities are composed broad dispositions. Consider how you would describe the personality of a close friend. Chances are that you would list a number of traits, such as outgoing, kind and even-tempered. A trait can be thought of as a relatively stable characteristic that causes individuals to behave in certain ways. Unlike many other theories of personality, such as psychoanalytic or humanistic theories, the trait approach to personality is focused on differences between individuals. The combination and interaction of various traits forms a personality that is unique to each individual. Trait theory is focused on identifying and measuring these individual personality characteristics. According to Offer Mann, Hanges and Day (2001) much of the discourse on the internal characteristics of leadership over recent years has focused on values and ethics. They argue that disillusionment and a lack of confidence in political leadership have been generated by the particular values that political leaders use to motivate their actions. As a result, Offermann, Hanges and Day (2001) claim that the world is more aware of the importance that values play in leadership effectiveness and success. In addition, it has been shown that particular types of leaders attract different followers depending on their value types (Ehrhart Klein 2001). McShane (2001) argues that in order to motivate, influence, be liked and respected, a leaders values need to align themselves with those of their employees and to reflect integrity, honesty, compassion and assertiveness. The contingency leadership is one of the effective leadership techniques and also has an ability to act as a vital tool in establishing the focus on variables in an environment in order to determine the situations which really opt for our behaviour in any kind of situation. The leadership theory based on this contingency model states that there is no particular model of leadership which suits as appropriate in all times of situation. The variables are the basic elements and the preliminary components which determine the success rather than the leadership style which we intend to follow or insist. The leadership has a quality in order to follow the vital roles and also in order to perform the action depending and assessing the situation through various means (Cherry, 2010). My definition of Leadership is being able to: inspire others, motivate, set a vision, communicate, respect others, and lead by example. A leader must have an honest understanding of who they are, what they know, and what they are capable of. To be successful person you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors. In my opinion this can build confidence in your followers in their faith in you to be able to lead. Followers Different person require different styles of leadership. For example, a company I was working requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than anyone with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees be, know, and do attributes. Communication Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another person; it involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receive. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees. Situation Situations are different from all time. Leader is an individual who can use different leadership styles based on the situations .decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behaviour, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective. Also note that the situation normally has a greater effect on a leaders action than his or her traits. This is because while traits may have an impressive stability over a period of time, they have little consistency across situations (Mischel, 1968). This is why a number of leadership scholars think the Process Theory of Leadership is a more accurate than the Trait Theory of Leadership. Every organisation is subdivided into two different categories such as formal and informal. The organisation when seen as external spectator it appears to be formal with its will defined mission statement, policies and procedure and organisation structure charts, but this is just the tip of the great iceberg floating underneath in the form of informal organisation which a manger has to face. This informal organisation includes informal leaders which have no formal authority given by organisation but they have their influence on many employees, to maintain good relation with such informal leaders as sometimes they can help in getting things done. Internally organisation is subdivided into many groups based on their nature of job, their ethnicity, their culture, their language having their own norms and sentiments managers need to identify such groups and make consistent effort to maintain peace in groups by serving the role of mediator, for smooth running of organisation. Organisation consist of another route of power which can be said as counter organisation, that can be seen in the form of labour unions which are formed to keep check on organisation and make sure that profit hungry organisation dont exploit them. Such counter organisations are needed to be handled with great care. It can be said informal organisations are formed by the people of organisation to satisfaction of their cultural needs and a sense of personal identity and personal belonging. It also provides means to highlight deficiencies in the formal organisation such as excess time taken to complete a task. MASLOW THOERY OF MOTIVATION Motivation is a fundamental driving force behind people behaviour and performance. When the research was done to explain different aspects of motivation from an organisational behavioural perspective many theories or models used to describe the topic of motivation basically it is described as the extent to which persistent effort is directed towards a goal. It is very important to know about different types of motivation theories and their implementation in a group or organisation. These motivation theories specify the kinds of needs people has and condition in which they would want to exemplify these needs. Motivation can be internal or external. Example of external motivation is Deadlines. The fear of losing a contract or of not finishing a job on time you started is an example of internal motivation. Both internal and external motivation can be equally powerful. Why i am using this Maslows theory to reflect on my behaviour in group situations. This theory comes under content theories of motivation. There is significant relationship between behaviour and motivation particularly between group and individuals. Motivations of group have a serious impact on individual behaviour likewise the motivation of an individual can have serious impact on group. Abraham Maslow theory was proposed by Dr. Abraham Maslow in 1943, this theory is general overview of human motivation. His theory strikes a distinctive sense of balance between biological and social needs that integrates many motivational concepts. According to Maslow individual needs are set in a hierarchy, and everyone must satisfy their basic needs before they can satisfy their higher needs. The hierarchy is many times portrayed, as a pyramid beginning with physiological needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top of this pyramid. The needs at the lower level are the most basic. These basic needs must be satisfy well before an individual can become concern with the higher needs like physiological needs, safety needs, security needs, social needs, law and affection, esteem needs. These needs must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs deficiency needs. As long as we are motivated to satisfy these craving, people are moving toward growth, s elf-actualization, satisfying needs is healthy, which preventing gratification makes us sick or act evilly. Gareth Morgan suggests that employees are people with complex needs that must be satisfied if they are to lead perform effectively in a work place. Employees perform best when they are motivated by task, which will earn them some reward that satisfies their personal needs. Abraham Maslows theory of motivation most widely famous as hierarchy of needs states that human needs when arranged in form of hierarchy, ascending from lowest to the highest, as soon as need at lower level gets completed, the need at next level servers to be a motivator. Maslow divided human needs into five main categories such as physiological which include basic needs for sustaining life like food, water, shelter and sleep. According to Abraham Maslow there are five different levels in hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing Needs Self-actualizing Needs is the highest level of Maslows hierarchy of need. People are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential. Esteem Needs Esteem needs include the things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment. Social Needs Social needs include belonging, love and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, love, romantic attachments and families help fulfil this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community or religious groups. Security Needs Security needs include safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighbourhoods and shelter from the environment. Physiological Needs A physiological need is low needs. These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met. Maslow was correct when he said that one need has to be fulfilled before we can move to the next one. Without sufficient amount sleep I wouldnt be able to think of nothing but sleep. Also if I am hungry food will be the only thing on my mind. But because each day I satisfy these basic needs I am able to think about other things because these needs are no longer controlling my thoughts. Next priority is given to security which includes freedom from physical danger and other fears like losing job, property, food, or shelter. Since people are social animals they need to belong, to be accepted by others, hence acceptance third in the list of needs. Once people satisfy their need to belong esteem needs emerge in the form of satisfactions as power, prestige, status and self-esteem and at last when all the other needs are satisfied need for self-actualization which is the desire to maximize ones potential and achieve something. Applying this theory many organisations where suggested to motivate their employees by monetary gains or assuring security of their job. , Koontz, H, Weihrich (2008), Morgan (2006). There was a research conducted by Douglas T Hall and Khalil Nongame which studied needs of hierarchy involving a group of managers over a time span of five years. They found that there was no strong evidence of hierarchy, as managers get promoted in organisation their physiological needs tend to decrease, while on other hand needs for self-actualization tend to increase H, Koontz , H, Weihrich(2008). Upcoming flaws of Maslows theory the process theory of motivation stated, with the study of ones decision making process and deter mining how individual behaviour is energised, directed and maintained. The major process theory of motivation includes expectancy theory, equity theory, goal setting theory and reinforcement theory. In my classroom activities I am relating this theorys to my classroom activities in a group. When considered my experience in a group situation once while doing a group presentation in collage we all are five people. We had a 20 days time to presentation and from first day we all thought to meet at my place but no one turn up this happened many time every one say some other reason. It happened for all 19 day only 1 day left to submit the presentation than I thought to divide the task to my group members. Each one is assign a separate task and the task should complete before the particular schedule time. With this I emerge as leader that made me influenza ion as Leadership. Not only Leadership but also motivation In order to sleep tonight I have to complete my task of presentation before sleep. I need to satisfy my physiological need that is to sleep in time. I should complete the presentation before night CONCLUSION According to the trait theory the question arises of weather a leader is born or developed. There is no defined answer as many theorists have different answers to this. Understanding the concepts from above of motivation its rewards systems as to how useful it is for a leader to understand how it can be utilized in getting work done from people, decision making and its importance in growing more efficient, managing change and adapting quickly to it, understanding human perceptions and how they affect management, understanding the value of power in an organization without which a leader is nothing, politics and control and the other factors finally lead towards the understanding that leaders are developed. Many individuals may be born with the skill to be a leader this does not prove that he grows up to be an effective leader. However he can develop the ability to become one. Experience and the urge to learn can help one become an efficient leader. According to my understanding a pers on might be born with natural abilities to become a leader. This assignment is very useful to assess my past behaviour to the present behaviour and ways to develop the behaviour and to assess the performance by using these theories in a group. These are the two oldest theories what I used because older principles are the basic for anything i.e. the applications should follows the basic principle. Only few people are reached the self-actualization concept in the Leadership theory and Maslows theory. I am very much willing to taste that step. So I am going to putting my effort in this way and also looking the ways to develop. In my opinion if the group activities are conducted from the child hood they will be a very useful to the individual to improve their personality, behaviour and from that the concept of Leadership and motivation skills will also improve for the betterment of the future.

She’s a Dreamer – Creative Writing

I glanced over my shoulder and felt a presence lurking, looming behind me. I sniffed and for that one moment my worries flew away. Candy floss. It smelt of a sweet, soft, sugary treat that my sisters and I only received on special occasions. I heard a swear word and turned around to find a group of ‘tough' boys behind me, they were speaking in low, deep, gruff voices. I listened in, making sure I wasn't being too obvious. They were chatting about the new roller coaster here at the theme park. The terrifying ride was called The Evaporator; it lasted only seconds but it went up, down, upside down and all around. I glanced up noticing the bloody red sign hovering above a crowd of innocent children and teenagers with a few adults among them. Should I risk going on a roller coaster for the first time in my life, without my mother by my side or should the public around me, mostly consisting of my high school peers, witness me going on the babyish rides with my sisters? I shook my head at the thoughts trekking through my mind and through the corner of my right eye saw my little sister, Lucy almost reading my mind and shaking her head and telling me â€Å"No, No. † But something was telling me the opposite â€Å"Yes, Yes. I nodded my head without any hesitation and I saw the upset on her face. She stomped her feet in protest and I dropped her clutching hand from mine. She glanced at me, her older sister not doing as the little one says, and teardrops dribbled down her cheeks falling of the end of her chin. I had to make this accomplishment, for me. If I had got to the age of 50 and still not boarded a roller coaster carriage then I would be so disappointed and angry with myself. My older sister smiled, a smile aimed in my direction and wiped little Lucy's eye with a rough, green paper towel she had in her rucksack. I smiled back but it soon disappeared. I stepped under the sign and took a deep breath as I joined the queue. As we were herded forward like cattle I thought about my life and what point in life I was at. I glanced over my shoulder again and it seemed my life was passing by. I was the rollercoaster. I was going up, down and all around. I saw the birth of my sister, Lucy, then the birth of my youngest sibling, Emily, the divorce of my parents and finally, most recently my father starting his sentence in prison. I blinked my delicate, beautiful blue eyes and I came out of my†¦ daydream. A bloke directly behind me croaked â€Å"What are you staring at? † I turned back around, ignoring the man's remark. As we were travelling toward the track, I clenched my fist and squeezed my eyes shut, for reasons unknown. I took a deep breath and was spinning, spinning, spinning in circles. I heard crashes, which startled me enough for me to come out of my trance. The crashes had happened both in my spell and in reality. The ‘tough' boys I was eavesdropping on earlier were denting the sign advertising the rollercoaster. My focus was drawn to the word evaporator, the word that had remained undented. It was to do with the word evaporate, I knew that, but I was puzzled at the unusualness of the name. There was just a large group of seven in front of me, and then it was my turn I pondered, as I shuffled forward, nearly suffocating the male in front. They were all being loaded on, three per aisle, as I noticed one girl, roughly three years younger than me, gesture for me to come and sit on a spare seat on her aisle. I shook my head, delaying my turn on The Evaporator. But as I did so, I instantly changed my mind, thinking it was better to get it over and done with. But my reaction was too late. A member of staff was already ushering for any two's. I had staggered my turn for just a few more minutes. The carriage noisily started, sped up and disappeared round the corner. I heard screams of happiness and then they were gone. It was finally my turn as a carriage juttered to a halt and a mixed crowd departed, smiled and laughed to each other as they were shown to the photo pick up point. I was piled on with everybody else but when we all had boarded there were still two empty seats in my aisle. â€Å"Any two's, any two's† was starting to get annoying. A large man and his girlfriend I assume squeezed past the threes, fours, fives and sixes. They were looking very smug and ecstatic about skipping part of the queue. The large man who I christened ‘the elephant' instantly plumped himself down next to me, nudging me as he struggled to fit. â€Å"Are you excited girl, are you, girl, girl, are you, are you? † It took a lot of effort but I managed to pull a fake smile and blocked out the distant memory of dad shouting â€Å"Girls! † at my sisters and I. The elephant gave a huge grin and I wasn't too happy at the smell of his breath hitting my face every time the wind blowed. We jerked slowly forward and I grabbed the harness in fear, he noticed my anxiety and squeezed my leg in a flirty way. I screamed inside at the thought of this maybe 30-year old man squeezing a 13-year-olds leg. His girlfriend was even there. He apologised though I knew he didn't mean it. After we had sped up and were experiencing the ups, downs, upside downs and all arounds I turned to my right to look at him hoping the wind wasn't in my direction or his mouth was near me. But he had miraculously disappeared. I blinked thinking my mind was playing tricks on me. But †¦ no. He must have†¦ Thoughts rushed through my head and the only logical one was he'd FALLEN out. But thinking hard enough about it even that wasn't logical. How would he have fallen out? And wouldn't I have heard something? Was he dead? Or was I dead? Spooky thoughts were taking over my mind. I turned to my right, past the empty seat and the elephant's girlfriend looked at me. She didn't see the emptiness of our aisle to start with but then the empty seat caught her eye. I will never forget the look on that lady's face. It was horrific. Horror and fear must have been rushing through her at 1000 miles per hour at least. The things in the background were completely blanked out as I felt one hundred different emotions for this lady. I'd never felt that way, not even when my father had left me. I tried focusing on a different thought, a happy thought, so I turned round trying to see the three behind us. I strained my neck and was in agony when I finally saw the one, not three bodies in the aisle behind. I blinked. My eyes needed a check up; they were seeing weird, freaky, abnormal things. But however many times I blinked there was still the sight of a young innocent girl crying. Tears pouring, rushing down her face. I knew that there was someone at least one more person on that aisle. It was a man, maybe her dad, I thought as the ride progressed. I shut my eyes and wished that that ride would end immediately. The roller coaster drew to an end and I had done it, without my mother by my side. This was a wonderful accomplishment and how my sister would be proud. Little Lucy would be so joyful and pleased her favourite sister was back. Mel, oh how Mel would be so proud for many reasons. She would be tearful and amazed. Emily, Emily would see no difference in the world, just that everyone was happy. When a toddler's family is happy they are happy. Is that right? I think I read it in a book once. As the carriage was getting slower and slower a couple of questions came to my attention. I'd never missed dad, why hadn't I? Mel and little Lucy had, but why not me? I suppose there was an answer to one of the questions. Melanie, being the oldest at 15 would have the clearest and most happy memories of dad. She'd never thought bad thoughts or if she had then she'd never shown them. She was good at covering her emotions and at the right time and the right place; she was good at showing her emotions. But little Lucy she had only been 4 at the time, but I suppose at four you do remember. Those four years of little Lucy's life had probably been the worst. Full of negative memories of dad, times without a good father figure and long distances between them. It's not good that what Lucy remembers is mostly bad or little about dad – she will immediately hate dad or not recognise him if she ever sees him again. That would be awful. I am pleased I have at least some positive memories. I stepped out the carriage and grabbed my bag not noticing how freakily quiet the area was. I ran to the burger bar where Mel had told me they'd be. I looked around squinting and scanning the area. The vision of them not being there will be forever with me. No one was about. I walked up to the kiosk planning to ask a member of staff if they'd seen my sisters. But there was no member of staff. I was scared; where was everyone, there was no one about and I was upset; why would my sisters leave me with no explanation? I looked and looked for maybe three hours not seeing one person anywhere. I hadn't been brave enough to go and look outside the park so I'd completely and purposely not walked past the gates. As I was walking I felt a sharp, ear piercing screaming coming from not a person but from inside me. I'd never felt a similar sensation before. The screaming was of fear and there was a voice; a high toned voice that was saying â€Å"There's something freaky, something real freaky going on here. † As I tried to block out the piercing sound I had a terrifying, terrific, torturing thought that stunned me. Why would I think of such a thing? But that thought went away – thank goodness! – And I thought happier and more realistic thoughts from that point on. Maybe, I'd just been queuing for hours and the park had shut, my sisters would be waiting just outside the gates for me. I wandered the short distance towards the park gates and was surprised to see the gates wide open. I shrugged to myself and nervously walked through the gates not taking into account the sign that said ‘Saturdays Open 24 hours'. The screaming of fear inside me had started yet again. As I turned my head, on the look out, my eyes swivelled trying to see through the darkness of that winter Saturday afternoon and the darkness and gloominess of the situation. I spotted an empty bench, which I persuaded myself to sit on. After I had sat down I had a sudden rush of tiredness and as it got the better of me my head hit the cold, hard, wet, brown surface. I had one clear and one more vivid dream. One I understood yet the other was very irregular. Firstly it was my dad; he was in his favourite outfit holding hands with Lucy and Melanie. Emily was tiredly bumping on his back as he walked towards me. Every one of them had a finger or hand outstretched, stretched in my direction. Each and every one of them was saying my name, over and over. The girls were wearing pyjamas and they were all the age they were when dad went. I was walking towards them but they were getting further away. It wasn't right. It was upsetting, distressing and brought back memories. Bad memories. No one was smiling anymore. As I came out of that horrible dream, another started almost immediately. I was on the same bench but I was sitting bolt upright and I was kind of like a robot. A bus came and it was full. Some of the people on the bus I recognised from the theme park like the â€Å"elephant† from earlier and the young girls dad who was on the carriage behind me. Finally I saw my sisters, Emily, little Lucy and Mel. I suddenly opened my eyes, bringing the dream to an end. But it hadn't. The bus was still there, in front of my very eyes looking beautiful and shiny and not bus-like at all. I could still see some of the people I recognised from the theme park, the â€Å"elephant† from earlier was the young girls dad was Mel, little Lucy and Emily all smiling and gesturing for me to board the bus. I felt a sensation, almost an urge to get on that bus and I started moving quite quickly towards the bus. Just before I was ushered up the steps of the bus I caught a glimpse at where the bus was going and I was shocked to see it was going to â€Å"Heaven! † I'm now an angel in heaven along with my sisters. I still don't really know what happened that day, I came to the conclusion that we must have just collapsed and the entire roller coaster journey was my imagination. It's just a guess though. My mother is still alive and she's starting another family, but I know she misses us. She goes to our graves every other day and puts fresh flowers each time. My father is still in prison. He has another two years to go. My mother visited him for the first time with the bad news that we have passed away, three sisters died in one day. I couldn't bear look at his reactions, I could have easily. Angel's can float, can fly, can go anywhere they want and can see anyone they want, it's an easy life for an angel. My dad's reaction could have even been a happy one, who knows. Only mum. If I could have done two things differently before I died I would have said my goodbyes, even though I'm here in heaven with my sisters it's my other relatives and friends that I wish that I could have said goodbye too. I would have also died more peacefully and I a way that I knew what was happening. Like dying in your sleep. Like Nana did. Emily is 3 now, little Lucy whose not so little anymore, is 9 and finally Mel is 21. I'm 16 and boy, times flied! I'm having a wonderful time with my sisters. I've really got to know them again. Emily and little Lucy always tell me their dreams. That's the funny thing about heaven, you never forget, anything. Not even your dreams.

Cultural Boundaries Essay

Youth culture has been studied from several ideological perspectives on assumptions that they are ‘not isolated and untouched by the surrounding culture’ (Keyes, 2000). This notion has lead researchers to assume that youth culture is not part of ‘growing up’, but a phenomenon that occurs as a precipitation of the social, political, cultural and ideological factors. There is not one monolithic youth culture that defines all young people. Popular youth culture embraces a diversity of sub-cultures or â€Å"tribes† such as skaters, druggies, snobs, band geeks, Satanists, Jesus freaks, techno-goths, computer dweebs, blacks, Latinos and white trash. Groups distinguish themselves by dress, style, music, body modification practices, race, ethnicity, and language. (Hines, 1999) Thus a researcher, who intends to study the ethnic, racial, political, cultural, sociological or linguistic aspect of a subculture, often ends up in analysing one of the factors and tend to romanticise or over-politicise these aspects. Thornton’s study on club cultures and Nava’s treatise on youth and consumerism are good examples in this genre. The debates on how best to conceptualise both the structural and cultural transitions of young people remains a central issue in the sociology of youth. In these debates cultural approaches have been criticised for neglecting the role of social divisions and status inequalities in lifestyle ‘choices’ (Bennett 2002). The cultural night lives of young people have provided fertile ground for social researchers. There have been explorations of the character and division of dance scenes (Thornton 1995), the relationship between femininities, women’s clubbing experiences and feminism (Pini 1997a, 1997b), clubbing experiences (Malbon 1999) and the relationship between drug use and clubbing (Henderson 1993; Merchant & Macdonald 1994; Forsyth 1997). What has not been studied so well is how people become clubbers, what practices this entails, what kind of young people invest in this lifestyle, what resources are required to do so, whether this process is gendered as well as if and how this experience has impacted on their sense of identity. Earlier studies portrayed Rave culture as being a social arena where social divisions were put aside and anyone and everyone mixed together (Henderson 1993; Merchant & Macdonald 1994). Yet, more recent studies suggest that distinctions do operate between ‘mainstream’ and ‘hip’ club scenes (Thornton 1995), that ‘nightlife provision exploits existing cleavages in the youth population, and segregates young adults into particular spaces and places’ (Hollands 2002, p. 153). Given this it seems important to unpack further the nature of boundaries: the divisions between ‘us and them’: the boundary work that we do and how boundaries are constituted in social interaction. Thornton asserts ‘club cultures are taste cultures’, but as she also points out, practices of distinction do not just involve taste and cultural hierarchies are numerous (1995, p. 3). What other practices of distinction are involved in identification and differentiation processes, both within and between club scenes? It seems unlikely that these processes and practices are wholly elective. Young people’s experiences of clubbing, their lifestyle ‘choices’, need to be contextualised and conceptualised in such a way that recognise that some young people are more able than others to engage in particular styles of life, and consumer and cultural activities, such as clubbing. Boundaries are about both the individual and the collective, notions not new to youth research. Willis (1978) suggested that ‘becoming’ a hippie or a bike boy involved not only cultural knowledge, but also a process of developing group sensibilities, and these sensibilities could be used to identify and differientiate one group from another. The notion of ‘becoming’ is a way of exploring both individual and group processes (Becker 1991): how young people learn to use ‘recreational’ drugs, learn particular practices, affiliate with a culture, lifestyle or social group and invest in additional forms of identification, as well as encounter cultural barriers that constrain participation and processes of ‘becoming’. Symbolic interactionist theories would suggest that notions of what and who you are, as well as what and who you are not, only become meaningful and significant through interaction with others. When social anthropological and symbolic interactionist conceptualisations of boundaries are brought together they can help us understand how people come to form into collective groups, groups that construct shared meanings through interaction. Symbolic boundaries, group life or how ‘people do things together’ (Becker 1986), are interactional resources that groups draw upon to create their own boundaries. These notions offer a fruitful way to explore the relationship between the individual and the group, and the divisions between ‘us and them’ found in the empirical studies exploring the cultural night-lives of young people. Moreover, it may be that identifying as and ‘becoming a clubber’ may only acquire meaning in relation to and in contrast to those who do not identify as or become ‘clubbers’.

Body Image and Sex Appeal in America Essay - 893 Words

The average American struggles with body image and sex appeal. People spend thousands of dollars a year trying to enhance their attractiveness. Media advertisements strive to concentrate on those insecurities of this society to sell products. First, most people notice her green eyes. Next, people notice that the doll has a shapely figure and curly red hair. The ad of an abnormal Barbie named Ruby shows the irony that most Barbie dolls are the exact idealized look. The red backdrop offsets her pale skin and emphasizes her curves. The font is bold and white to draw the eye saying, â€Å"There are 3 billion women who dont look like supermodels and only 8 who do† (Galanti). This ad points out the fact that the average women does not have this†¦show more content†¦Although its a subtle touch it gives the audience a good last impression of the store and the image they are trying to convey. They believe beauty comes from the heart and that if you do good things for the envir onment you will also feel good (Roddick). One argument for this ad could be Ruby is not an effective role model for the male audience. I understand it would be hard for a man to identify with a shapely Barbie, but that does not mean this ad is not effective for its targeted audience. This ad may not be directed towards men because beauty products are usually directed towards women, but that does not mean men cannot appreciate this ad. Some men are sympathetic to the scrutiny that women go through to be considered beautiful. So even though this ad is not for men that does not make the ad any less effective for the female audience and men can appreciate the ad for trying to tackle the large issue of body image. The audience for this ad is obviously directed towards women, but there also seems to be a specific age group. I would say this ad is directed towards younger women and people who grew up with Barbies. This specific age group is concentrating on their identity and are very conc erned about body image, so this would be the optimal age to advertise products to. Women who grew up with Barbies remember the standard created by Barbie that we must be tall, slender women. This is when young girls started comparing their bodies to their dolls. For most women,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Sexuality in Advertising1350 Words   |  6 PagesSex is everywhere you turn. Victoria’s Secret is notorious for their ads that plaster billboards and the sides of buildings, featuring scantily-clad women suggesting an obvious sexual air. The bags you receive at Abercrombie feature half-dressed models, often two of which may be kissing or touching one another. These sexual images are far too present in the every day lives of young children, much younger than what used to be acceptable. Aside from this moral questionability, ads such as these oftenRead More Female Beauty in America Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesSophistication and Flair: The True Meaning of Beauty Three words come to mind when one sees the epitome of Hollywood’s A-List – sophistication, style, and confidence. Although the media will always pose celebrities as sex symbols, tasteful images have now become a norm for today’s society. A woman’s beauty is now being portrayed in other ways – fully clothed and self-assured. It is evident now even as I look around campus. The girls who are poised and classy do not prance around in bellyRead More The Positive Role of Magazine Images Essay812 Words   |  4 PagesThe Positive Role of Magazine Images Most controversy over magazines is about the images they portray. According to the writers, Amy Malkin, Kimberlie Wornian, and Joan Chrisler, Women and Weight: Gendered Messages on Magazines Covers, womens magazines insist on dieting, exercise, and cosmetic surgery to achieve the ideal body. This is in no way true. Yes, magazines show pictures of beautiful women and have articles that relate to dieting, exercise and surgery. However, magazines haveRead MoreComparing China s And India s Sexual History1161 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the time, I learned about China s and India s sexual history I saw that they had many unique preparative on sex compared to todays. For example in India’s famous book Kamasutra which discussed the nature of love and how to make a good family and home. This makes is seemingly normal compared to the modern day. However the thing that makes Kamasutra so unique and different is was that they categorized men by their penis sizes and women by the siz e of their vagina. The Kamasutra also recommendedRead MoreThe Perpetuation of Female Stereotypes Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesImages are all around us, and while some are helpful many can destroy the image that is our existence. These negative images are projected at us through media, and the media is all around us, making it at the very least difficult if not impossible to ignore them. A great analysis of the effect of these negative images on young women is a film titled Beyond Killing Us Softly. The third in a series of films on the advertising industry, body image, and women, Beyond Killing Us Softly is a 30-minuteRead MorePropaganda from the Beauty Industry1226 Words   |  5 Pagespropaganda that ultimately characterizes the way we think of ourselves. The media is relentless in reminding us every chance they get why women need to be perfect and what we need to achieve that. There is endless pressure as women to have a perfect body and appearance. The beauty industryâ€℠¢s aim through advertisement is to make women feel as if we need to buy the beauty products in order to look and feel like the models on television, magazines, and in commercials. The beauty industry is very successfulRead MoreThe Media Is A Real Issue1446 Words   |  6 Pageson the TV, different commercials came on. I watched them with a look of shock on my face. The way they portray women, in such an over-sexualized way, was shocking to me. Compared to where I come from, America is relatively closed when talking about topics surrounding sex. This use of women and sex in the media is a recurring theme that I have seen in my years of living in the United States. I am glad that I can now share, in a school assignment a different cultural view of this topic. When lookingRead MoreMarketing Strategies Of Young Men And Women737 Words   |  3 Pages In today’s society, high standards have been imposed on the men and women in America. While men have the standard of being muscled and fit, women have created the idea of being thin and petite. Even though, there is a new movement of larger sized models being publicly distributed, there is still a large stigma on the ideal body size and shape. People in today’s society have become obsessed with their physical image to the point that it is unhealthy Public companies supplying goods for mass productionRead MoreA Womans Body Image And Sexuality1442 Words   |  6 PagesThe perceptions of a womans body image and sexuality though revolving, have gained momentum since the late 1880’s. The advent of department stores during the Gilded Age opened a new opportunity to woman who for the first time were targeted consumers. The department store’s of the Gilded Age aimed to transform the shopping experience into a leisure activity. Women were not heading to a shop because they needed a dress, but rather because they needed a distraction. Many stores provided public restrooms-Read MoreThe Effect Of Wom en s Media1517 Words   |  7 Pagessexualized objects who are dependent upon men. It is important to establish the affects that television has on a women’s image because it influences viewer’s attitudes and beliefs on not only themselves but projects on how they view women in society. Because of many simplifications and generalizations that they produce, stereotypes present incomplete, subjective and sometimes false image of the reality. Woman portrayed on television commercials are stereotyped, sexualized, and have limited roles which