What Are the Social Factors That Influence Interpersonal Attraction free essay sample

What are the social factors that influence interpersonal attraction? Discuss in relation to relevant psychological theories and studies Interpersonal relationships are the close relationships we form with others around us. They range from close romantic relationships up to more casual relationships such as acquaintances or university peers. There are numerous numbers of social factors that may lead to interpersonal attraction such as proximity, physical attractiveness, similarity and reciprocity. There are also numerous theories into attraction and how humans form interpersonal relationships. Proximity or being close to a person has a big influence on our choice of friends or romantic partners, previous research suggests that the nearer we are to someone the more likely we are to have some sort of interpersonal relationship with them. Festinger, Schachter and Black (1950) found that two-thirds of married graduate students close friends had once lived in the same block of flats as them. Suggesting that the proximity of the graduate students had led them to develop an interpersonal relationship with each other. We will write a custom essay sample on What Are the Social Factors That Influence Interpersonal Attraction? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Physical attractiveness is also a factor that determines whether or not an individual will form an interpersonal relationship with another person. The first thing one notices about a stranger is their physical appearance. This can include factors such as how they have their hair, their dress sense, if they are well kept or not. There is a general consensus on what is seen as being attractive in society, such as women with baby like faces are seen as attractive (Cunningham 1990), however there are obvious individual differences in what someone finds attractive. Socially people who are physically attractive are perceived as being popular, intelligent, and honest. In a study by Sigall Ostrove (1975) attractive women were given more lenient court sentences when being prosecuted for a crime which was not related to their attractiveness. However if the crime was related to their attractiveness then they were given harsher sentences. In a further study by Landy Sigall (1974) essays with an attractive photograph attached to them received a higher grade in comparison to those that had less attractive photographs attached to them. Also evolution plays a part in how physically attractive we may find someone, women who look healthy are seen as physically attractive with rosy cheeks, child bearing hips and glowing skin. Men who seem to be financially stable are also seen as physically attractive. These are factors that are involved in evolution hence why they lead to being physically attracted to another person. Another factor into physical attractiveness was contributed by Singh (1993), the waist to hip ratio is seen as a sign of health and fertility in women and men. Women should have a waist to hip ratio of about 0. , whilst men should have a waist to hip ratio of 0. 9 these indicate signs of optimal health in both men and women. Singh stated that the most attractive part of a woman is her waist to hip ratio. As stated above we are attracted to signs of health and fertility in our partners, and having a healthy waist to hip ratio is a good indicator of this. However there are significant cultural differences in what waist to hip ratio should be. In some cultures especially those in Europe find a waist to hip ratio of 0. 7 is attractive, whereas in some African or South American cultures a waist to hip ratio of 0. is seen as attractive. A further limitation of this theory is that people tend to look at the body weight of a person instead of focusing on just their waist to hip ratio as body weight is obviously a better indicator of how healthy a person appears. Similarity is another factor that can lead to interpersonal attraction. People with similar personalities are more likely to become involved in a relationship. However this is not always the case Winch (1958) found that in relationships couples who were dissimilar tended to have happier relationships. Similar attitudes also play an important role in interpersonal attraction, people with similar attitudes tend to be attracted to each other. In a study carried out by Byrne (1971) found that strangers with similar attitudes to participants were rated as being more physically attractive in comparison to participants which had dissimilar attitudes. Another factor in interpersonal attraction is Reciprocity, this is the tendency to be attracted to people who like us and tend to be less attracted to those individuals that dislike us. In a study carried out by Dittes Kelley (1956) the findings show that participants conformed more when told ‘other group members like you’ in comparison when told ‘other group members dislike you’. People who have the tendency to have low self-esteem or are highly insecure concerning interpersonal relationships have a greater need for positive feedback from others around them, in order to form close interpersonal relationships. As well as the social factors that lead to interpersonal relationships there are a number of different theories that also account for the formation of interpersonal relationships. The matching hypothesis by Walster et al (1966) is such a theory. In the study a computer dance was organised in which the participants were randomly allocated to partners. Midway during the dance the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding the view of their partners. The views were recorded and compared to judges views of the physical attractiveness of the participants. The participants rated as most physically attracted were liked most by their partners, however after six months participants stated they would have dated someone similar to their own level of physical attractiveness. Walster et al. ’s findings show that humans are initially attracted to people who are perceived as being ‘beautiful or handsome’, after we realise that the person is not on the same level as attractiveness as us we tend to look for someone on our own level. Hence the name ‘Matching Hypothesis’ as we try to form interpersonal relationships with people who match our own level of physical attractiveness. However this theory does not account for other social factors that can also influence our decision in forming an interpersonal relationship. Relationships do tend to occur between people of different levels of attractiveness, they may have got to know each other through proximity or similarity or other social factors. Theories into reinforcement also provide a great insight into the formation if interpersonal relationships. The reinforcement-effect model by Byrne Clore (1970), this model is heavily influenced by Pavlovian conditioning. This model states that we are attracted to people that invoke positive feelings in us through offering us rewards or praise. This is seen as positive reinforcement and we are more likely to want to gain this positive reinforcement throughout the relationship. We identify the stimuli as either being a reward or a punishment and try to seek the rewarding behaviour and try to avoid the punishing behaviour. These positive feelings are also associated with the praise or rewards given. Leading to these positive rewards being associated with that person, so when we are with that person we attribute these positive rewards to being with them. People can either be liked or disliked according to whether they are associated with the positive feelings or the negative feelings. The Social exchange theory is another theory into the formation of interpersonal relationships. This model was founded by Homans (1961). The model states that in an interpersonal relationships negotiations must be made and we are more likely to engage in a relationship with another person if that relationship maximises our benefits and minimises are costs. Whether we are attracted to another t-person is determined by how much effort we must put into the relationship acting as the cost in comparison to how much we gain from the relationship acting as the benefit or reward. If a relationship is high in cost but low in reward we are less likely to form a close interpersonal relationship with that person as we are not maximising our benefit or rewards. We try to see what the other person can offer us in the relationship that we can gain from and what we can give them to gain from. The actions of the people involved in the relationship highly effect the outcome of whether the relationship will have a good cost-reward ratio, if it seems beneficial for both people involved an interpersonal relationship may be formed on this basis. The social exchange theory was further analysed by Foa Foa (1975) in which they state that in a relationship certain goods must be exchanged for the relationship to seem beneficial for both people involved. The ‘goods’ that can be exchanged take many forms such as objects or products, advice, love or other affections, money or wealth and higher social status. All these offer rewards. We as humans always try to minimise our costs and maximise our profits and the same goes for forming relationships, if the benefit is not high for us we tend to not indulge in the relationship any further. Overall it is clear to see that social factors have a clear influence on the formation of interpersonal relationships. These factors such as proximity, reciprocity and similarity do have great influence on the decision to enter and form an interpersonal relationship with another person. Social factors account for some of the reasons why and how interpersonal relationships are formed but social factors do not account for the reason on a whole. There are many other underlying factors that also carry great influence when forming such a relationship. The social factors tend to work in conjunction with one another and aid each other in the process of forming an interpersonal relationship, but there are also other theories that state other factors are also just as important as the social factors. The social exchange theory as stated above suggests that humans try to gain maximum rewards out of their relationship whilst minimising the cost. Other theories tend to take a less calculated approach such as the reinforcement affect model, this model suggests that instead of physical rewards we want to form interpersonal relationships with people associated with positive feelings or people that remind us of a positive memory. We want these positive rewards to be reinforced hence the formation of a close relationship. We tend to dislike people who evoke negative feelings or people that reinforce punishments. The matching hypothesis is a further example of factors that account for the formation of an interpersonal relationship, Walster et al. (1966) found that we are more likely to form a close relationship with someone that matches our own level of physical attractiveness, hence the name ‘Matching hypothesis’. All in all it is evident that there are numerous factors that can cause the formation of interpersonal relationships, social factors are very influential and play a big role but essentially there are other underlying factors that must also be accounted for. It is fair to say that social factors highly contribute to the formation of interpersonal relationships but there are also other factors that must be taken into consideration. However it is clear that social factors are underlying in most of the theories and studies into the formation if interpersonal relationships.

Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles

and can understand and comprehend around 20,000.... Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles Contrast the thinking styles of three year-old and seven year-olds. When contrasting the difference in thinking styles amongst three year-olds and seven year-olds, a number of things are brought to attention. First off, usually at the age of 3 children are able to understand that thinking goes on inside the mind and that it can actually deal with either real or imaginary things, that someone can be thinking of one thing while doing or looking at another, that a person whose eyes and ears are covered can think about objects, and most kids at this age realize that thinking is totally different from seeing, talking, toughing, and knowing. These kids, at the age of three have a hard time realizing that the mental activity in the brain never ever stops. However, once they reach the age of 7, most of these children begin to understand this concept. At the age of 3, they also have no idea that they talk to themselves in their heads. Once they hit the age of 7, they can understand that people who are asleep do not engage in conscious mental activity. When talking about false beliefs and deception, it is stated that three-year-olds fail to recognize false beliefs, and this is believed to stem from egocentric thinking. These children tend to believe that everyone else knows what they know and believes what they do. By the age of 7 however, children can begin to realize that two people who see or hear the same thing may react or interpret it differently. One last thing that is important to factor when discussing the thinking styles of these two ages is vocabulary. This plays a key role because they greater the vocabulary, then the greater the mind. It is noted that three year-olds can use 900 to 1,000 different words and uses about 12,000 a day. By the age of 7 however, children have a vocabulary of right around 2,600 words and can understand and comprehend around 20,000....

iGE iPhone app review - Emphasis

iGE iPhone app review iGE iPhone app review Apple boasts that there are now more than 500,000 iPhone apps available. Some are useful, and some less so (we particularly love the virtual stapler). But which camp does University College London’s Interactive Grammar of English (iGE) app fall into? For many, grammar is an alien and intimidating world of confusing concepts and unlikely vocabulary; a world they would rather avoid. But for anyone who relies on language, is there really a choice? As the app wisely states on its welcome page: ‘Quite simply, if we know how English works, then we can make better use of it.’ A logical progression The iGE is both a reference guide and an interactive course, beginning at word classes and building up logically through phrases, clauses and sentences to form, function and further reading. UCL linguistics experts developed it using research from their Survey of English Usage (SEU). The exercises use text taken from SEU’s million-word database of spoken and written English. This means the example sentences are somewhat more realistic than your typical grammar textbook (one can show only so much interest in where an aunt keeps her stationery). There is also an extensive glossary. Apparently the target market is school, college and university students, as well as learners of English as a second language. UCL Professor and Director of SEU Bas Aarts says: ‘The SEU team have developed the app in response to students and teachers who say that many existing learning tools †¦ often fail to meet their English language learning needs.’ Hold on to your hat Perhaps the worst that could be said of the resulting program is that, after it has met those needs, it promptly gallops off to a more highbrow party. On first use, the app almost feels too comprehensive. And for anyone who finds grammar daunting, it could be a little overwhelming. (Ever wanted to know the difference between syndetic and polysyndetic coordination? Well, you can find out here ) Throughout the course, technical terms are hyperlinked to their entry in the glossary, as well as to dropdown menus of related words and subjects. While cross-referencing is undoubtedly useful, the extent of it means you can easily become sidetracked amid the many layers (imagine a Russian doll of the population of Russia) and lose track of where you began. The overall verdict This aside (and it does feel churlish to complain of being given too much information), the app is intuitive to use and explains terms clearly. And you can take your time getting to grips with each part, as it will hold your place when you exit. Just a couple of notes of caution: it’s probably best to follow the course from the beginning rather than diving right into the hyperlinks and labyrinthine glossary, or you risk feeling like Alice being swallowed up by the rabbit hole. Still, if – like her – you can learn to just fall in and embrace it, you will probably also end up emerging somewhat wiser, if a little bit dazed. Score: ****

Project Management and How it Relates to Purchasing and Supply Research Paper

Project Management and How it Relates to Purchasing and Supply Management - Research Paper Example In this scenario, project management processes are required to perform these operations successfully. The basic purpose of this research is to analyze project management in the context of its use in procurement and supply management. Procurement and Project Management Procurement is the most important element of a business industry. It encompasses a wide variety of aspects of project management such as acquiring material, goods, equipment, and services from external firms. However, procurement does not include other internal departments inside an organization. In view of the fact that procurement is a domain for which a project manager will be responsible for providing information and input, in various and possibly a number of firms, hence it is believed to be an area that the project manager does not own. Though, the project managers generally are not authorized to take part into contracts in support of the business organization, as well as they are not responsible for controlling t he contracts once they are prepared or in process. However, it is still a most important area which an organization must need to have knowledge of. In this scenario, the project Management Institute (PMI)’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOKÂ ®) outlines six key processes that deal with certain Project Procurement Management knowledge areas (Mochal, 2007). Plan purchases and acquisitions: This process of project management is concerned with identifying and determining the resources that need to be acquired for a project and when a project needs them. This area of procurement comes directly under the control and authority of the project manager, for the reason that the top management and organization’s purchasing committee do not... This paper has presented a detailed analysis of the project management function in the context of its role in procurement and supply chain management. Project management is a set of well-organized and synchronized processes, and each process is connected with another however the basic purpose remains to achieve a common goal. The research has shown that both the project management and supply chain management are similar disciplines. The research has also shown that if both supply chain management and project management are combined effectively then it can improve the performance and efficiency of a firm. This paper has also discussed various aspects associated with procurement and purchasing. This paper has also presented recommendations on how to use project management to improve procurement and supply chain processes. In short, the survival of successful project management depends seriously on the proper execution of the supply chain process, for the reason that well-timed, accurat e, and well-organized delivery of materials, equipment, supplies and resources are critical to success of project management. In order to make the procurement process a success, there is a need for reliable aftercare and organizational record, which should be carried out by a variety of professionals from the legal and financial settlement of purchases. In addition, even a project is in progress, the performance of the suppliers should be constantly assessed and, where essential, alternatives should be adopted.

Evaluate the relationship between clinical and experimental Essay

Evaluate the relationship between clinical and experimental neuropsychology - Essay Example It is definitely not sufficient to categorise these cases as language deficits- it is evident that language deficits can assume a broad array of forms. In every cognitive sphere, comprising language, memory, visual perception, abstract reasoning, and attention, it is likely to discover fascinating instances of dissociations within a particular cognitive function or if not interesting alterations of the normal mechanism (Bradshaw & Mattingley 1995). The implication these cases present is obvious, and not unforeseen to clinicians and researches in the discipline of neuropsychology (Maruish & Moses 1997): ‘within any given cognitive function, a whole range of things can go wrong; conversely, a specific deficit in memory, attention, or language can manifest itself in a variety of interesting ways’ (p. 59). Therefore, how can practitioners approach and understand this wide range of deficits? To what level can experimental neuropsychology inform practitioners what type of diso rders may take place and how they manifest core brain processes? To what level can clinical neuropsychology help practitioners to develop frameworks of cognitive functioning that can explain both disordered and normal performance? In the recent decade, there has been a remarkable and functional union of framework within the clinical and experimental branches of neuropsychology (Stirling 2002). It can be seen in these two fields the increasing application of component process analysis in formulating paradigms of cognitive functions and in formulating assessment methods to diagnose the nature of different disorders (Vasterling & Brewin 2005). This paper attempts to review the model for this kind of approach, and then to explain how it could be relevant in two distinct areas: spatial attention and visual imagery. These illustrations demonstrate how clinical and experimental viewpoints can be integrated within a potent and descriptive

Discuss Controversial Figure Thomas Cromwell History Essay

Discuss Controversial Figure Thomas Cromwell History Essay In this paper I would like to discuss Thomas Cromwell which was a controversial figure. Some people called him the ideal statesman of Tudor England, the other people called him most corrupt Chancellor. Cromwell was one of the most outstanding personalities of the English Renaissance era, which had ahead his time. Lets start from the biography of Thomas Cromwell. He was an important political personality in medieval England, he was the first counselor of King Henry VIII in 1532-1540., He was the chief ideologist of the English Reformation, one of the Anglicanism founders. He was born in 1485 in the family of tavern and brewery owner Walter Cromwell. His grandfather was a blacksmith. In addition, the father of Thomas Cromwell hadnt sober and honest behavior. There is evidence that he not only had a violent temper, but was accused of fraud. But Thomas and his older sister, Katherine were quite different people. As a teenager, after a conflict with his father, he left not only his home in the village of Putney (now part of London), but also the country. The thirst for adventure and a desire to see the world made him a French mercenaries in the Italian army from which he soon deserted, leaving the battlefield. After the army he went to live in Florence and employed to work at the banker whose name was Friskabaldi. Such start of young life made him possible to get on his feet quickly and travel to Rome. However, inquisitive Cromwell interested not only in finances. He enthusiastically watched the political life in Florence, where he met with the writings of Machiavelli. Later, he often followed the recommendations of the Emperor author. A few years later he moved to Holland, where he worked as a sales agent of English merchants in Antwerp. Approximately in 1513 Thomas Cromwell returned to England with a sufficient amount of money and began to live in London, at first he traded fabrics and wool, and then became one of the most famous lawyer in England. Such situation gave him the opportunity to meet with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Lord Chancellor of King Henry VIII, so that he became his secretary and manager of pontifical estates. The most famous act in that capacity à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ was the abolition of the small monasteries. In 1529 he became a member of Parliament, and after the fall of Wolsey succeeded his officials under the kings court. Cromwells career abruptly went up in 1533 when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and then in the 1536 he became Lord Privy Seal. However, the real power of Cromwell was given him by the Kings friendship and confidence. Cromwell had undoubted talent for management, some historians regarded him as the founder of the revolution in the governments control scheme. If earlier decisions were made in accordance with the wishes of the King (sometimes ill-advised and inconsistent), then Cromwell had developed a system of departments with used control techniques. Not all researchers agree with this statement, but, no doubt, Thomas Cromwell played a leading role in monasteries destruction. Harshness with which Cromwell enforced the secularization of church property, gave him the nickname the hammer of monks. Widespread closures of monasteries almost cost Thomas Cromwells career. In 1537 in the north of England, began the rebellion of Catholics, called the Pilgrimage of Mercy. The main demand of the rebels was the execution of Cromwell. However, the rebellion was suppressed. All segments of society hated him, they often guided by a completely opposite intentions, there wasnt such segment of society, which support or sympathy he could count on. For ordinary people, he was the organizer of the bloody persecution suppressor action against the new levies, the hardships that had befallen peasants after the closure of the monasteries. For the nobility, he was an upstart a commoner, which did not take rightful place at court. Catholics (especially the clergy) didnt forgiven him the break with Rome and the subordination of church to the king, plundered of church lands and weal th, Lutherans patronage . And those, in turn, accused the minister in the pursuit of new, true faith, and in condescending attitude towards Catholics. The Scots, Irish, inhabitants of Wales had a lot of claims to Cromwell. Cromwell played a leading role in establishing the rule of a monarch over the church, in the empowerment of the royal Privy Council, whose rights were extended to the north of England, Wales and Ireland. Cromwell filled the lower house of parliament by creatures of the yard and turned it into an instrument of the Crown. He was able to dramatically increase revenue of coffers at the expense of confiscation of monastic lands, and taxation of trade, development of which he encouraged by skilled protectionist policies, Thomas Cromwell managed to increase British influence in Scotland, a significant expansion of the British crown estates in Ireland, the final incorporation of Wales. Analyzing the literature I can say that Tomas Cromwell greatly influenced King. What else could King claim from the Minister, which not only handles all the orders of the king, but tried to guess his desires and anticipate the plans to which he had not yet figured out? However, the success of Cromwell jaundiced narcissistic Henry, he got into a huff by his minister intellectual superiority. The influence of Cromwell testified Henrys inability to get out of a painful divorce case, to reorganize the state and church affairs in the spirit of royal absolutism. The minister was a living reminder about the second marriage of King, the infamous process and the execution of Anne Boleyn, which he wanted to bring to eternal oblivion. More than once it seemed to Henry that Cromwell prevented him from appling his public capacity, prevented him to be among the major politicsof his era Charles V and Francis I. Thomas Cromwell made a great contribution to a difficult divorce of Henry VIII. The first wife of Henry VIII was Catherine of Aragon. Henry was still young when he married her, she was a widow of his brother Arthur. Katerina was a Spaniard, she was strict in religion and morals, with calm nature, which didnt correspond to rapid temper of the king. The only thing that spoke in favor of Henry it was his beauty, mind, love to science, amorous, but none of these qualities she did not appreciate. She married him because the marriage was approved by the pope. But the blessing of the pope did not save her from unhappiness. Henry could not long remain faithful to his wife. A great admirer of the female, he was constantly moved from one subject of passion to another, until finally he stopped on the court lady, Anne Boleyn, who didnt want to live together without marriage, and demanded the marriage and Henry chose the divorce with Catherine. However, the king met with resistance! Everybody were against divorce: the Father, and Catherine, and trusted people of the King. But Henry has already managed to learn all the charm of tyranny and said he would not retreat from his decision. Divorce in medieval dynastic tradition was a quite common phenomenon, so Henry was not particularly doubt in his success, but the question of Henrys divorce had been delaying for six years. King has repeatedly tried to make Ekaterina to divorce with him, or retired to a monastery, but she skillfully and firmly reflected his attack. Henry was hoping for the Popes order of invalidity of marriage on the grounds that the King married his brothers wife. Thomas Cromwell proposed Henry divorced Catherine without the Pope permission. Why, he said, the king did not want to follow the example of German princes and with the assistance of Parliament declare himself the head of the national church? This idea seemed very attractive, and soon he returned to persuade himself. Henry, following the advice of Thomas Cromwell, decided to break with the Pope and declared himself as a head of the English Church, asked to help the domestic court. To give the case a legal nature, the council was convened, chaired by Archbishop of Canterbury. Cathedral decided or rather, Henry decided, by means of Archbishop, who blindly did his will that the head of the English Church, will be king. Often, but erroneously stated that Cromwell wanted to make Henry the absolute monarch. Cromwell acted through the House of Commons, that is why the decisive factor was the adoption of the Parliament reform (1529-1536). Thomas Cranmer rightly wrote in 1537 to Strasbourg reformer Wolfgang Kapiton: In all that has hitherto been achieved in the reformation of religion and the clergy, only Cromwell did more than all the others together. Five-year legal reform led the authority of the Pope in England replaced by supremacy of the king over the English church. Cromwells efforts to abolish the legal independence of the church began with the adoption of the Supplication of the Commons Against the Ordinaries, which said about restricting the right of clergy to assert ecclesiastical laws without the consent of the House of Commons, and the arbitrary and abusive acts of ecclesiastical courts were criticized, which were often unfair to the laity. The King complained the Speaker of the House that the prelates during his ordination sweared allegiance to the Pope. On May 15, 1532 council adopted an appeal of the clergy, asking the king the protection from the House of Commons and giving the council control of his legislative activities in return for his patronage of the ecclesiastical courts. The next day, Thomas More resigned from his post as chancellor. By the end of the year the stopping payment of annatto act to Rome was approved , and the Pope, because of the threat, made Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury,. In March 1533 Cromwell prepared statement of overriding Act to limit appeals. The famous preamble to the Act reads: The Kingdom of England is the Empire under the sole rule of the Supreme Head and King, who has the imperial dignity and the imperial throne, and whom society consisting of people of different classes and conditions of various titles and the foundations of spiritual and secular, after God is obliged by natural and humble obedience. Act held that issues relating to the activities of the king, sent for consideration to the Supreme Church Council, the highest legal authority, and no further appeal beyond the Kingdom, for example in Rome were impossible. Resistance to the Henry church upheaval was surprisingly weak, but on the altar of change were two victims: Bishop John Fisher and the layman Sir Thomas More. Fisher and More could not make a compromise with their conscience and to sign the Act of the rule, because it rejected the authority of the Pope. In February 1536 the reformist parliament received from Cromwell inspectors reports about monasteries and approved the first act of elimination. Henry was forced to limit the number of monasteries, due to economic reasons, as well as for religious reasons and because of the anticlerical the House of Commons mood. In adopting the act in 1536, Parliament abolished the small communities with an annual income of less than 200 pounds. Most of the larger monasteries were forced to obey the King. Monastic lands transition to the hands of the nobility contributed to further strengthening of this class and his participation in the governance of the country, while at the level of local governance became dominate the rich esquires. Profits from the land sale and other property were used for the pensions of certain former monks and nuns for the content of the new diocese, new schools and colleges as well as to enrich the royal purse. In 1539, to strike up relations with German Protestants, Cromwell persuaded the king to marry Anne of Cleves the sister of a German duke. Alas, the bride did not like Henry. Circumstances allowed the leaders of the Catholic party at the yard Thomas Duke of Norfolk and Bishop Stephen Gardiner to convince a suspicious king in the unreliability of his most loyal ministers. He was arrested and executed in confidence in the Tower of London in 1540. After that, his head was welded and installed on a stake on London Bridge. Reformer Tomas Cromwell made a great contribution to the formation of the Anglican Church. Renowned British historian Thomas Babington Macaulay called the Anglican Church fruit of unity of government and Protestants, i.e., the result of the consent of both parties in the views of the church. Alliance between the Crown and Protestantism was not easy and was characterized by periods of tension and regression. Obviously, Henry VIII believed in the possibility of destruction the relation with Rome without any changes in church teaching and worship. The king maintained a conservative theology, and in the period from 1532 to 1540 was forced to choose between the radicals, led by Cromwell and the Conservatives, led by the Duke of Norfolk and the Bishop of Winchester by Stephen Gardiner. At first, followed by a period of elevation of radicals, and after the fall of Cromwell in 1540 the Conservatives. Henry tried to act as judge in the competition of the parties, as later in the same century , his daughter Elizabeth maintained her position over the Anglican and Puritan parties. As a consequence, the Reformation in England developed by universal course via media, as nowhere else on the continent, with the possible exception of Sweden. Summing it up I would like to stress that a small portion of society has learned for himself the benefit of the Reformation. These were the new people, the emerging class of capitalists and bureaucrats who have acquired property, without noble birth. As a result of the Reformation there were such large changes in class composition of society, which it hasnt known throughout their history.

Ethics and Morality Essay

There is an inherent question on the basis of morality and whether or not it is a man-made, almost religious invention or if it is intrinsic to our beings as humans. I think that the rope that is the argument between is too complicated and tightly knotted to have a short conversation about, but by fraying the ends of the rope we can inevitably decide that morality is innate and that religion may have a part in building upon it, but not in creating it. The curiosity behind the topic of morality is normally fashioned by religious arguments for the assumption that a deity endowed us as humans with some sort of moral compass. However, by searching the brain for its different functions and activities during moral dilemmas and religious interactions, along with historical clues and a little knowledge of sociology, determining that morality is not created, only built upon, is inevitable. Morality is defined as normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons (Stanford). With this as a definition, the first question to rises is the following: What is one moral action that a believer can do that a non-believer cannot do? There are few answers to the inverse, if any, but non-believers do not pose that they have any stronger of a moral compass than believers, while believers do. It is incredibly important to think about an answer to this question because if there truly is no answer to this challenge, then a road has been paved toward an objective that we can already see, which is that being ethical and moral is not necessarily a religious view, so such claims can immediately be cast off and the topic can stay on a strictly scientific road. Now the consideration lies upon what is deemed as an ethical person. Is the president ethical in his decisions? Is a doctor ethical in his decisions? Of course, there is an ethical code in these circles, but does that immediately mean that any decisions outside of the codes are immoral? A moral person is normally described as somebody who takes into account the possible consequences of his or her actions and rationally decides on a choice based on how it may affect those around him. We call these people morally good because their contributions to whomever they are around are normally well thought-out, harmless contributions to the topic. However, this is simply a definition, and the person is simply his or her self. Take into account the thoughts of those around the subject. A religiously-convicted man would say that his religion is the reason for his good nature, while one not necessarily supporting religion would say that he is simply a good person. As an aside, there are multiple people who would take the chance to point out many historically immoral figures, such as Mao Zedong, Stalin, Pol Pot, who were atheistic. While it is true that these figures were indeed non-believers, it is important to distinguish the reasons for their immorality. It was not based on religion, but rather by social constructs and a greed for power that caused them to act out. Some may cite Hitler as an atheist as well, but they’d be digging their own grave. Hitler, in Mein Kampf, even gives credit to the Christian god, and had religious inscriptions on every Nazi-uniform belt. To get back to the previous point, it is important to take into account what those around the subject would perceive, and although the religiously-convicted man might have millions of people around the world following his train of thought, research done Dr. Pyssiainen and Dr. Hauser from the departments of Psychology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University offers an interesting perspective on the topic: â€Å"†¦Despite differences in, or even an absence of, religious backgrounds, individuals show no difference in moral judgments for unfamiliar moral dilemmas. The research suggests that intuitive judgments of right and wrong seem to operate independently of explicit religious commitments. † Pyssiainen’s and Hauser’s study grants us that although religious backgrounds may indeed build upon moral constructs, as good religion is only positively influential to a good person, a complete lack of religious background is perfectly plausible if an individual wishes to be moral because moral judgments are not linked to religious commitments. This finding is absolutely crucial to determining whether or not morality is man-made or inherent to humans because it breaks the perceived bond between belief and morality. So their contribution to the topic has been seen through and accepted as a welcome source of reference. However, it is essential to look at the other side of the argument. Which studies show that seem to show that religion is a key factor in morality? Unfortunately, they are found few and far between. As a matter of fact, there are literally no scientific studies that show religion is crucial in the formation of morality. It’s widely granted that religion, in some aspects, can further construct upon morality and cause others to be exceedingly altruistic and generous, and that is conceded by Paul Bloom of Yale University, but it is not a formative agent. In his paper, â€Å"Religion, Morality, Evolution,† he accepts that religion can be a guiding influence on a positive path. However, he points out that it is by no means the reason for morality, and that religion itself may just be an accident by which humans needed an answer to questions that they couldn’t fathom without the help of a deity. Necessity dictates that there should be some rather fueled individuals on a topic as flammable as the topic of morality and religion. Speaking as an outsider looking in, I cannot very well use the words of Christopher Hitchens, though I would love to dearly, because he was so against religion. While he was indeed logical in most of his claims, he was a self-described anti-theist, meaning that he was against a spectating deity who watched over each individual. Thus, his words would seem rather biased. However, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, and Sam Harris, a well-known neuroscientist, are individuals who speak strictly through logical and provable means. Richard Dawkins posed the same point as Paul Bloom that religion is most likely an accident through evolution that was used as a possible answer to the world’s greatest questions, and Harris poses multiple reasonable points. The most relevant, though, is that if the bible were the only book in the world, it would be rational to use it as a basis for morality. However, because the bible is not the only book in the world and society is far more civilized now than it was when the bible was conceived, it is reasonable to assume that the bible is not the best book for building a moral compass. To end on a rather short note, there are few, if any, scientific studies arguing that religion is the factory that builds moral compasses. However, there are studies being conducted which follow Pyssiainen’s and Hauser’s and should end up corroborating their finds that morality works independently of religious constructs and confines. Thus, it is both rational and reasonable to assume that, after looking through history at the reasons for extreme wrongdoings and the social situations that facilitated them, and the evidence against opposing claims, morality is indeed intrinsic to our human nature and that it is simply augmented by outside forces, such as good religion. References Bloom, Paul, Religion, Morality, Evolution (January 2012). Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 63, pp. 179-199, 2012. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1982949 or http://dx. doi. org/10. 1146/annurev-psych-120710-100334 Cell Press (2010, February 9). Morality research sheds light on the origins of religion. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www. sciencedaily. com /releases/2010/02/100208123625. htm Harris, Sam. Letter to a Christian Nation. New York: Random House, Print. Harris, Sam. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. New York: W. W. Norton, Print. Pyysiainen, Hauser et al. The origins of religion Q1 : evolved adaptation or by-product? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, February 8, 2010 â€Å"The Nature of Morality and Moral Theories. † Morality and Moral Theories. University of San Diego. Web. 12 May 2013. .