680 words

Jonathan Haidt's happiness hypothesis and the divided self

I approached Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis with the same sort of hubris that I tend to exhibit when someone asks me if I like a work of art. I am quite confident that I can point to art that I like, while being less consistently able to tell why I like or don't like a work of art.

~4 min read

View paper →

633 words

The four basic phenomena of classical conditioning

Classical conditioning is one of the most famous forms of behavioral 'learning.' It is epitomized in the experiment of Pavlov's dog. The dog was conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell because the dog associated eating with that particular noise.

~4 min read

View paper →

981 words

Media manipulation in Barbie dolls and Disney films on children

In two perceptive and provocative essays, authors Ann duCille and Henry Giroux examine toys, movies and media and examine ways in which the modern commercial culture directs the development of a child's psychology.

~5 min read

View paper →

619 words

Strengths and limitations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

One of the foremost among these is its widespread usage and lack of ambiguity in regards to terms, as well as its authority throughout the industry.

~4 min read

View paper →

939 words

Worldview perspectives and brand loyalty across cultures

Creswell (2014) discusses four philosophical worldviews: post-positivism, constructivism, transformative, and pragmatism that can be applied to the proposed topic for this research is a comparison of brand loyalty among young people in the United States and Kenya.

~5 min read

View paper →

960 words

Smirnoff's 1994 advertisement and American patriotic symbolism

Incorporate three of the factors that influence meaning as critical criterion. Smirnoff's 1994 campaign was a trend-setting advertising campaign that boosted the product and enhanced its worldwide selling power.

~5 min read

View paper →

669 words

Satire on teenage girls' conformity disguised as individuality

They look so good, all in a row. Their jeans, lower than a plumber's pants, shimmer in the light because of all the glitter flung on their thighs. Tan lines from all of them are visible, so low are their extra low jeans.

~4 min read

View paper →

732 words

Breaking through barriers: one student's path to special education

Marcy, a sixth grader with large brown eyes, blonde hair, and severe behavioral problems, stared up at me as her fingers fondled the puzzle pieces. The intensity of her gaze took me aback; I imagined what brimmed inside her little brain.

~4 min read

View paper →

712 words

Walter Lee's psychological limitations in "A Raisin in the Sun"

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun chronicles the struggles of the African-American Younger family to gain a foothold in American middle-class society. One of the most poignant characters is the elder brother, Walter Lee, who works as a chauffeur but dreams of owning his own liquor store.

~4 min read

View paper →

949 words

Larry Crabb's model of biblical counseling and Christian spiritual change

In Effective Biblical Counseling, Larry Crabb shows how church-based and faith-focused counseling provide ideal models for deepening Christian lives and Christian communities.

~5 min read

View paper →