Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept

Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept Final Paper: Perception, Empathy, and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Matthew K. O’Hara How does perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level alter one’s self concept and in effect change the fate of the self-fulfilling prophecy? To begin, one must first understand some of the core concepts and definitions of terms that will be utilized in this paper, such that the reader can understand the relatedness and intertwined nature of one’s perception and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor define the term self-concept as, â€Å"who you think you are,† in their work Looking Out, Looking In (2011). One’s self concept can be affected by an almost infinite number of factors, some of which are: one’s biological make-up (inherited disease or if an individual is generally a happy or sad person), how we believe other’s see us, how other’s treat us or how others have treated us in the past, how we compare ourselves to others in our social environment, our cultural backgrounds, and simply our gender; all affect who we think we are. The concept of one’s self then leads us to the discussion of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor describe that a self-fulfilling prophecy, â€Å"†¦occurs when a person’s expectations of an event, and his or her subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the event more likely to occur than would otherwise have been true. A self-fulfilling prophecy involves four stages: 1) Holding an expectation (for yourself or for others); 2) Behaving in accordance with that expectation; 3) The expectation coming to pass; and 4) Reinforcing the original expectation† (2011). Next, we must consider the ever so interesting concept of perception, for which Adler and Proctor describe in matters of experience where, â€Å"†¦each of us experiences a different reality, and failing to understand other people’s point of view can lead to problems on both practical and relational levels†¦.by seeing the world through other’s eyes, you can gain insights that are different – and often more valuable – than those arising out of your own experiences† (2011). Finally, and in my opinion the most vital element of perception that can improve an interpersonal relationship is to understand and practice empathy. Empathy, â€Å"is the ability to re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from the other’s point of view† (Adler and Proctor, 2011). My first example will be based on observations of a colleague (and friend), with whom I currently work. To say that this friend was at times, the most negative person in the world may be an understatement. He would often say things like, â€Å"nothing ever goes my way†¦you just get lucky†¦whatever, I’ll probably get fired soon anyway†¦they [our employer] give me the worst clients,† among many other similarly negative uses of language. Another co-worker (and also a friend) and I, would try to turn his negative attitude into more positively provoked thoughts based on several factors. We would say things to him such as, â€Å"we are all very fortunate to have the jobs that we do in this economy†¦if things didn’t work out with this client, you have to move on to the next†¦we just started a year ago – things will get better/easier†¦you were hired for a reason – don’t be so hard on yourself†¦try to see things a l ittle bit differently.† This was of course not the full extent of our conversation, but this should give the reader some context as to how we would communicate with him. More specifically, there was an instance where this â€Å"negative† friend was preparing for second meeting with a client. In our line of work, the second meeting is where we as advisors diagnose the issues we’ve uncovered regarding a client’s situation; as well as provide suggestion, recommendations, and ultimately â€Å"ask for the business.† â€Å"Asking for the business,† could be having the client transfer money from another firm to ours, or to invest the money they have with us in a more productive manner. Nevertheless, I stopped by his office to see how he was feeling going into the meeting. Not surprisingly, he had what I perceived to be a â€Å"negative† attitude towards the outcome (his mind was already focused on the future or rather his anticipated outcome three hours ahead of the present moment)! I said to him, â€Å"Frank (pseudonym), you have no control on what decision the client will make; therefore instead of thinking the c lient will not do what you recommend, why not feel good about the work you have already done for the client; and think in a way that you believe they will act on your recommendation, because you believe it is in the client’s best interest to do so? And if they don’t act now, perhaps they will act later – but nothing positive will happen if you don’t believe it will.† He then replied something in the manner of, â€Å"yeah, I guess you’re right – I’ve got nothing to lose anyway† (followed by a, â€Å"I don’t care anyway† laugh). I said, â€Å"Great you can do this – and you will. And if you’re confident in your delivery, they will act on your recommendations.† He thanked me; I walked to my desk as he closed his office door and put the finishing touches on his â€Å"mental† preparation for his meeting. Fast forward, after he escorted his clients past my office and to the lobby where he said his good-byes; to my delightful eyes he came back to my office with a bounce in his step. He was walking differently than normal, he was standing more erect, he was smiling – a huge, very happy smile. He said to me (in our non-business, friendship-like communication style), â€Å"bro – you’re not going to believe this†¦.they did everything! They’re going to bring over $2 million from XYZ company, they want to meet with our estate planning expert; and they want me to review their $3 million life insurance policy – oh and he thinks I can help some of the other board members of his university’s endowment fund; he took like five business cards!† I stood up out of my chair in utter excitement, and fueled by his positive attitude – gave him a â€Å"high-five,† and said, â€Å"congrats dude, I knew you could do it – now you’re in a great position to hit your year-end goal.† He thanked me for ac knowledging his accomplishment, but also thanked me for my little â€Å"pre-game† talk when I stopped by his office only a few hours earlier. He said to me, â€Å"you were right, if I just look at these opportunities a little bit differently, perhaps I will have more success.† I said, â€Å"You’re absolutely right.† This was a first-hand experience whereby I saw how a change in perception was indefinitely the game-changer for my friend to perform better, and come across more confident and reassuring to his clients – which ultimately enabled him to earn their trust, and â€Å"win† their business. My next example is such that I consider the positive effects that the practice of Yoga has on an individual’s self-concept, their actions towards others based on their empathetic nature, and finally how all of these positive thoughts and actions promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. There is a well-known Yoga sutra that states that minds perceive differently. â€Å"Although the same objects may be perceived by different minds, they are perceived in different ways, because those minds manifested differently.† This is exactly in line with what Adler and Proctor mean when they discuss the many factors that affect one’s self-concept; which in affect alters one’s ability to perceive a certain way. An example of which is described by Swami J. in his writings. â€Å"Imagine that four people are sitting together, meditating on the same object, a flower, for example. One person is meditating on the beauty of the flower. A second person is meditating on the molecular structure of the flower. A third person is meditating on the subtle essence of light that forms the flower. A fourth is meditating on the primal elements, the gunas, out of which the flower manifested. The flower is the same, while the minds differ: In this example, it is not the flower which has changed. Rather, it is the nature of the four different minds that determines the way the flower is experienced. Each of the four minds in this example is operating from progressively deeper levels of being, and thus, the object perceived is experienced at its different levels of manifestation.† The practice of Yoga allows practitioners and followers to see the world as it really is by training their bodies and minds to stay in the present moment – a very important aspect when considering one’s self-concept, as well as imploring the ability to be empathetic towards others in the present moment; a practice of mindfulness. Jeff Martens further describes this concept in his work, â€Å"Yoga and the Mirror of Perception,† such that, â€Å"†¦everything else is just a projection of an imagined future or memory of the past. It is up to us to make sure that our perceptions emerge from a fearless place of love and acceptance. This is the key to living in the eternal present where all things are possible and the world can bloom anew.† Ancient Chinese poet and philosopher, Lao Tzu, said it best, â€Å"†¦wherewe let goof whatweare,webecome whatwe might be.† Further elaborating on the idealistic ways Yoga can help individuals realize their positive self-concept, be more empathic and ultimately have a more positive future (self-fulfilling prophecy), comes from the biographical story of Suzanne Jones, titled â€Å"Exercise Your Empathy.† Her story has to do with how Yoga did in fact change her life, her self-concept, and how empathy towards others changed the way she views and acts towards the world (people, all things living and non-living). She writes, when I was in the darkest time of my life and planning my one shot at doing something right (i.e. removing myself from the world via swallowing a butt load of pain killers), I happened to stumble into a yoga class. And as I learned how to really breathe and concentrated on how to move my body in class and pay attention to how my body was feeling inside, I activated these brain regions†¦I exercised my empathybecause without empathy, we begin to stop being kind to ourselves. And when that happens, we begin to withdraw from others and the cycle of insidious self-destruction begins. Our brains are social organs and in isolation they begin to suffer. (2013). Reflecting back on my own personal experiences, as well as the two stories I shared regarding my friend/co-worker, and the story of Suzanne Jones and how Yoga and empathy changed her life, I truly believe that the intertwined nature of perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level will not only alter one’s self-concept, but have a lifetime of positive affects in changing one’s fate and ensuring a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. I have supplied both observed and biographical evidence that supports this theory and hypothesis, which suggests that a change in perception and/or empathy towards others will have a positive effect on one’s understanding of the self, which in turn will promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy (cause and effect). Works Cited Adler, R. Proctor, R. (2011). Looking Out, Looking In. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Print. Swami, J. (2014). Yoga Sutras 4.15-4.17: Mind Perceiving Objects. Retrieved from http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-41517.htm Martens, J. (2014). Inner Visions Yoga. Yoga and the Mirror of Perception. Retrieved from http://www.innervisionyoga.com/yoga-and-the-mirror-of-perception/ Jones, S. (2013). How Might We Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion? Retrieved from http://cultureofempathy.com/projects/Conference/Sub/Yoga/ Jones, S. (January 14, 2013). Elephant Journal. Exercise your Empathy. Retrieved from http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/01/exercise-your-empathy/

Scholarships for Artistic Students :: Argumentative Persuasive papers

Scholarships for Artistic Students 1. Purpose College is an important part in continuing education and is also the best time for students to hone their skills and become the best in their field as possible. Inclusion of support, both financial and mental, is instrumental in achieving a college education, and should be given in equal amounts to both athletic and artistic students. But each year, numerous athletes around the United States are offered college scholarships to recognize them for their talent and to encourage them to play at the university awarding the scholarship. At the same time, the same amount of equally artistically talented students are left to pay for college themselves because they are not offered as many scholarships as athletes are. This unfair and unequal distribution of scholarships is a threat to college education of artistic students everywhere. It is a problem that occurs at every university in the United States, including Iowa State University, and it is a policy that needs to be changed so that colle ge is an equally beneficial period for athlete and artist alike. 2. Scope In this paper, I will be comparing information about the athletic and artistic scholarships offered at Iowa State University. As I do so, I will focus on the difference in number, criteria, and cash awarded by these scholarships. I will discuss the needs for the change of this policy, the ideas I have of how to change it, the benefits that will result from changing this policy, and how to implement these changes. 3. History and Needs According to a list of scholarships distributed by Iowa State itself, a greater number of athletic scholarships are offered by the college than there are artistic scholarships. With scholarships available in every sport played at Iowa State, the chances that an athlete will receive a scholarship are much higher than that of an artistic student. In fact, according to the information given by Iowa State, it is five times more likely that an incoming athletic student will receive more scholarships than an equally qualified art student will. The reason for such a difference is that mostly general scholarships are offered to artistic students, and these scholarships are offered to all students, including athletes, thus making the competition and chances of receiving such scholarships much harder. The scholarships offered by Iowa State should be in equal amounts, especially those that are focused on specifically art and athletics.

Management/performance Appraisal Essay

The movie â€Å"Office Space† is a satirical version of the challenges identified in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In the movie, Peter Gibbons, the character played by Ron Livingston is the quintessential corporate employee who characterizes the ailments that the Industrial Psychology aims to identify and cure. Office Space points out some burning issues that have emerged with the evolution of the corporate culture. Motivation Employee motivation is a constant challenge for every organization whether it has a strong and ambitious mission statement or not. In the interview with the consultants â€Å"Bobs† Gibbons articulates it accurately when he states that he is not motivated because any extra effort he puts in might lead to a leap in the share price of the Initech stock or better rewards for his management but he is not compensated in any way. He also bluntly points out that the productive period of his, in a regular week is around 15 minutes. This is a challenge that most organizations face, where the job description leaves a lot to be desired in terms of adequate motivation for its employees to work at peak performance levels for a long duration of time. Management/performance Appraisal In the vexing issue of cover sheets for TPS, Gibbons is harassed by more than one boss. He might be exaggerating when he says that he has to report to eight different bosses but he is right in the fact that an employee begins feeling highly insecure when his performance is scrutinized with unusual and unwarranted vigor and by more than one supervisor. Personnel Recruitment and Selection In the entire movie, one of the most effective characters, Milton Waddams, so efficiently played by Stephen Root, is shown as an ineffective employee but is never clear what his role and responsibility is in the organization. In fact he is revealed to have remained in the organization due to a technical glitch though he was sacked five years ago. Any organization needs ot identify every employee’s strengths and weaknesses through its recruitment processes and also nurture their talent through constant training and knowledge initiatives. Change management is an essential function of the management and ineffective handling of such functions leads to the wide spread paranoia that becomes evident in the reactions of the employees towards the external consultants. Team Effectiveness Initech does have a bunch of talented people in Michael Bolton, Samir Nagheenanajar, Peter Gibbons et al, but fails to build effective team spirit because of the low motivation levels and constant insecurity. Besides every employee is preoccupied with their own woes of the working environment and busy dealing with it, rather than trying to maximize their productivity. Leadership In this movie, the characterization of Bill Lumbergh, played so obnoxiously by Gary Cole ( which means he has succeeded completely) is the perfect example of all that might go wrong with the leadership teams of corporates. He is a bully by nature and does not take any initiative to listen to his team members. He is a throw back to an older era when bosses were treated like royalty. Today the leadership has to play a more constructive role and infuse a sense of inclusiveness in decision making. The scene where he asks Gibbons to come in to work on both the days of the weekend without any explanation or pretense of asking for an opinion is classic Mike Judge. When reviewed in detail, Office Space provides examples of almost all the important issues that form the crux of Industrial/Organizational Psychology but the topics mentioned above are the most significant representations of the conflict and the treatment of the movie. While it is important to note the topical significance of the movie, the experience is rendered enjoyable due to some superb performances and believable exaggerations. That, perhaps is the basic reason for the movie’s cult status on the DVD circuit though its theatrical run did not make it a super hit.

The Civil Rights Movement Essay - 1601 Words

The Civil Rights Movement â€Å"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.† This was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Even one hundred years after slavery was banned, African Americans were still being treated unfairly. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most famous leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. The Civil Rights movement was a movement of African Americans who felt that they were not being treated equally. There were also many other famous leaders and inspirations during the Civil Rights Movement. This movement was very important to the freedom of African Americans. An influential leader†¦show more content†¦He was born on January 15, 1929. He graduated 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College. He received a doctorate degree from Boston University in 1955. The King family had a history of pastors. His grandfather was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1931, Martin Luther King Sr. took over the pastor role. In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. became co pastor and remained that until his death in 1968. Before that, in 1954, he became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. In December of 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. boycotted buses, along with many other African Americans. During these boycotts, his house was bombed, and he was arrested. On December 21, 1956, the Supreme Court declared that the segregation on buses was unconstitutional and blacks and whites traveled on the bus together for the first time. In 1957, he was elected the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This was formed to provide new leadership for the Civil Rights movement. From this time, to the day he died in 1968, he wrote five books and read two thousand and five hundred speeches. He directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C. He delivered his â€Å"I had a dream† speech, where two hundred and fifty thousand people came to listen to him. In 1963, he was named the Man of the Year, by Time magazine. When he was thirty-five years old, he became the youngest person ever toShow MoreRelatedThe Rise Of The Civil Rights Movement1179 Words   |  5 Pagessegregations. Out of the numerous elements that arose in the 1960s, there are three movements that truly affected the American society. Firstly, the rise of the civil rights movement was greatly influenced by racial discrimination of colored people in the South. Secondly, the women’s movement aimed to convince the society that women are capable of achieving and maintaining higher waged job like males. Lastly, the gay rights movement aimed to gain acceptance and stop discrimination of homosexuality. 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