Bad Grades Essay Example for Free

Bad Grades Essay I am writing to offer an explanation for a change in academic performance that is noticeable on my high school transcript. From the start of my freshman year until the end of my junior year, it is evident through analysis of my transcript that I have been an above average student consistently throughout my high school career. However, starting at around August 2010, problems arose in my family of which I believe made it impossible for me to continue my 100% focus on school. Halfway into my senior year, my father was laid off from his job. Since he was the only source of income at that time, our family of five was forced to move from our comfortable lives at our four bedroom house into our grandmother’s two bedroom house. This was a drastic change for all of us, as we have never shared a house with anyone, especially one of this size. I no longer had a room in which I was able to do my schoolwork in silence. This drastic change, I believe, interrupted my focus on school because of the attention it required from me. During my first semester I was often required to miss school by my parents, reason being that I had to help out in the movement process and had to visit an ill uncle out of town. I take full responsibility of my underperformance during the first semester of my senior year and am not look to make excuses. My main goal in making this letter is just to offer insight on what it is I believe influenced my underperformance. I sincerely ask you to consider me as an applicant and to not let this recent semester define me as a student. I greatly appreciate your time in reading this letter.

Group Polarization And Competition In Political Behavior Essay

On Tuesday, November 14, 1995, in what has been perceived as the years biggest non-event, the federal government shut down all "non-essential" services due to what was, for all intents and purposes, a game of national "chicken" between the House Speaker and the President. And, at an estimated cost of 200 million dollars a day, this dubious battle of dueling egos did not come cheap (Bradsher, 1995, p.16). Why do politicians find it almost congenitally impossible to cooperate? What is it about politics and power that seem to always put them at odds with good government? Indeed, is an effective, well run government even possible given the current adversarial relationship between our two main political parties? It would seem that the exercise of power for its own sake, and a competitive situation in which one side must always oppose the other on any issue, is incompatible with the cooperation and compromise necessary for the government to function. As the United States becomes more extreme in its beliefs in general, group polarization and competition, which requires a mutual exclusivity of goal attainment, will lead to more "showdown" situations in which the goal of good government gives way to political posturing and power-mongering. In this paper I will analyze recent political behavior in terms of two factors: Group behavior with an emphasis on polarization, and competition. However, one should keep in mind that these two factors are interrelated. Group polarization tends to exacerbate inter-group competition by driving any two groups who initially disagree farther apart in their respective views. In turn, a competitive situation in which one side must lose in order for the other to win (and political situations are nearly always competitive), will codify the differences between groups - leading to further extremism by those seeking power within the group - and thus, to further group polarization. In the above example, the two main combatants, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, were virtually forced to take uncompromising, disparate views because of the very nature of authority within their respective political groups. Group polarization refers to the tendency of groups to gravitate to the extreme of whatever opinion the group shares (Baron & Graziano, 1991, p.498-99). Therefore, if the extreme is seen as a desirable characteri... ...roup of extreme, right wing, "constitutionalists" who were apparently trying to turn frustration with the federal government into open revolution. I do not think these examples are aberrations or flukes, but are, instead, indicative of structural defects in our political system. If we are not aware of the dangers of extremism and competition, we may, in the end, be destroyed by them. References Baron, B.M., & Graziano, W.G. (1991). Social Psychology. Fort Worth, TX. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Bradsher, K. (1995, November 18). Country may be losing money with government closed. The New York Times, pp.16 Kohn, A. (1986). No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Boston, Houghton Mifflin. No Author. (1995, March 24). [internet] What Wilson has said about entering race. San Jose Mercury News Online. Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil324s.htm Thurm, S. (1995, August 29). [internet] Wilson's 'announcement' more of an ad: California governor kicks off drive for GOP presidential nomination. San Jose Mercury News Online. Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil829.htm Turgue, B., & Thomas, E. (1995, November 27). Missing the moment. Newsweek, pp.26-29.

Discipline Essay

Machiavelli has a theory that â€Å"ends justify the means† which means a person may do whatever they need to do as long as their outcome has some meaning. In sports some believe that taking steroids is the right thing to do. Then there is also the group that believes that taking steroids is morally wrong. From an ethical/moral standpoint, players who use steroids are cheating and living a lie, garnering success and prospering from illegal substances. Users who buy into Machiavelli’s theory go against society’s standards of rewarding hard work and discipline. When you take steroids you do not use hard work and discipline to reach your physical status. Taking steroids is a harm that reaches far beyond one’s body, but into one’s soul. It is morally wrong to cheat for a living. Those who oppose the illegality and immorality of performance-enhancing drugs maintain that professional athletes should have the right to use steroids because steroids are no different from any other technology or substance that enables athletes to compete at high levels. Although advances in technology in sports have been made that only allows the sports to become more competitive. One’s body is not a piece of equipment that can be used, abused, and replaced. Using enhancers such as, anabolic steroids, allows beings to become almost super human an act of immorality. In Steve Yuhas’ essay, â€Å"The Steroid Scandal in Baseball has been Overblown,† he explains a profound understanding that steroids cannot increase the abilities of an athlete. Overall steroids do not help the abilities taught to professional athletes or athletes in general. Yuhas states that â€Å"Yes, they can become stronger and their biceps may grow to the size of a normal person’s thigh, but that doesn’t make them able to hit a small ball with a thin bat and it certainly doesn’t make a football player throw more accurately or kick the ball through the uprights with more precision† (Yuhas 2). Abilities are taught and learned. Steroids do not help the ability of the athlete. He is a believer of Machiavelli’s theory; he believes that an athlete does not have to work hard to achieve a mentally and physically stronger body when they can just pop a pill to do the work for them. Yuhas’ argues, â€Å"There seems to be a [†¦] scale of morality involved in steroids that is absent from any other substance. Popping a pill to render a child more productive in school or to make a fat person thin is great; sucking the fat out of a woman’s behind or injecting a forehead with botox is simply cosmetic upkeep, but put something in your body that makes you more competitive in your livelihood and it is somehow morally corrupt† (Yuhas 2). Although Yuhas makes a substantial argument there is a thin line between what is morally wrong and what is right. Athletes use steroids to become stronger to earn more money and fame for themselves. Society looks upon steroid use as an immoral judgment. Steroid use for athletes is a selfish and greedy act. People may use botox to prevent â€Å"Father Time†, but that is not a reason for professional athletes, who are role models to so many, to use steroids. A human beings competitive livelihood is apparent to all. When someone wants to become the best they are willing to work hard for it and not cheat. When you use steroids you do not become the greatest athlete, but you do become the worst. Despite the recent problems with steroid use in professional sports, especially baseball, steroid restrictions have not been enforced hard enough on the athletes. Steroids used by one-person gives them an advantage over those who do not use performance enhancers. Due to steroid use, sports records held by elite athletes are being broken by false feats that are only achieved by using an enhancer, and enforcing steroid use in professional sports gives young athletes a better understanding of how dangerous enhancers actually are. Aside from personal harm to the user, steroid use is detrimental to fellow players as well as fans. Many things can be included as an immoral act but in today’s society steroid use is a main point on what is morally wrong. Baseball is an American pastime and ruining the game is a bad example to all Americans. Americans have a livelihood for competition, from clinching the World Series to who can belch the loudest. Our conscience urges competition to an extreme that makes the littlest of things very big. While performance-enhancing drugs enhance an athlete’s skill sets, they devalue and alter competition. When you go to a baseball game you only want to see a few things, which include that huge homerun by your favorite player and the win to your favorite team. Some would argue that using steroids will allow more homeruns to players and would make baseball games more entertaining. Well those few people may be right but then the game would not be competitive. If you go to a game and each team hits five to eight homeruns apiece the urge to see homeruns and watch the game would be ruined. Records are always broken, each decade a more outstanding athlete emerges and they begin at a record pace and break great athletic records. Records are something to glorify, Babe Ruth had the record homeruns in a season, then a few years later that was broken by another player, Roger Marris. As the game began to become more competitive in both aspects of pitching and hitting records were difficult to break. Hitters began to hit the long ball harder and further, the change in the athletes muscle mass was exponential but players and the MLB did not care. Baseball had many fans, as Mark McGwire had been his record-breaking homerun pace. His record was set by a lie as he attested to using steroids during that record breaking year and his lie caused much hurt to fans as it had embarrassed the franchise. Later Barry Bonds broke the record and broke the all time homeruns in a career passing Hank Aaron. Not long after that he was accused of using steroids and then again a franchise was embarrassed. The pressure on baseball players is indirect; it comes twice a month, on paydays. The big money goes to guys who hit thirty homers, not the ones who hit thirty doubles. It pays to be strong; it is almost like an animalistic behavior. Only the strongest survive. Are athletes the role models needed for American youth? Many young athletes have their favorite player in whichever sport they partake in. Seeing their idol admitting to using steroids could possibly corrupt their mind in believing that steroid use is the right thing to do to become a stronger and better athlete. Beyond any possible benefits of steroid use lies the dangerous issue of health. In many cases, athletes (especially young athletes) are so focused on success in a professional sport that they are ignoring the glaring consequences of steroid use. In actuality, the price of steroid use and abuse is high; much higher a price than any lucrative contract or marketing deal. â€Å"The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that heart attacks, strokes, and live cancer are the more serious life-threatening effects of steroid abuse. Side effects for male users include acne, hair-loss, development of breasts, shrinking testicles, and impotence. † (qtd. In Fletcher D4). Yet another way in which steroids harm the user is through increased susceptibility to injuries. One theory is that players are overwhelming their bodies with rapid muscle growth. Players who use steroids to gain a competitive advantage over peers and opponents pressure others, including youth, to use performance-enhancing substances. If they too want to win and remain competitive, they must use steroids as well. In baseball, as with all professional sports, income, fame, and marketability depend on success and impressive feats of athleticism. The pressure and increased incentive to â€Å"bulk up† is evident. â€Å"The average size of a major-league player was a pretty standard 6-foot-1, 185 pounds for at least 30 years, until the early 1990s. Today, the average player is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and most teams have players who weigh in at 240 pounds or more. † (West 22). Bigger players hit more home runs and sign lucrative contracts and endorsement deals. Because of this, more players want to be bigger. As more and more players are tainted by steroids it begins to affect more and more of the youth that watches sports. Steroids have directly affected the biggest fans in baseball, America’s youth. Besides cheapening statistics and athletic accomplishments, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has tarnished the general image of baseball. Instead of a game that encourages healthy competition, it is one that resembles a pharmacological trade show, where the effects of steroids are put on display. Baseball is known as â€Å"America’s pastime†. It holds a special place in American society. The values of society are reflected in the values of its most popular and revered cultural pastimes. When the message is sent that it is acceptable to have a drug problem in sport, it is akin to saying that this staple of American culture is reflective of a drug problem in society. Some would argue that baseball is a reflection of a culture mired in drugs and a society that is lacking quality role models for its youth. One of the biggest blows to baseball’s image came in August 2005 when slugger Rafael Palmeiro, who has collected over 3,000 hits and has hit nearly 600 home runs during his career, tested positive for steroids. † (Fletcher D1). The former first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles was booed relentlessly and was told by the team after the season he would no longer be part of the team. Palmeiro is since retired; his hall-of-fame numbers are still in question. As we have seen, the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, specifically baseball, is an immoral practice. As seen steroid use does in fact directly affects fans and the teammates that the player plays with. Drug testing baseball players cannot be foolproof. In fact, all the testing does is keep players from using optimal dosages and encourage them to find ways to mask the drugs. The only infallible test for steroid use is a player’s moral compass. As soon as players identify not using steroids as a moral obligation, for both personal reasons and beyond, the game of baseball and its once-great warriors will return to the apex of the sporting world.

Employee Motivation through Leaders Emotional Intelligence - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 918 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/05/13 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Tags: Emotional Intelligence Essay Did you like this example? By studying different researches, it was explored that these emotional competences develop from general level to more complicated level and with the development of human growth, they become better in implementation and functioning with various type of concern such as family and business. It is not easy to evaluate emotional intelligence and its components which were given by the different theories (Duncan et al., 2013). Rauf, Tarmidi, Omar, Yaaziz, and Zubir (2013) found that emotional intelligence described an ability which is interlinked with those demonstrated competencies which are considered as basic requirement for constructing self-understanding, social management and psychological awareness to implement sufficient frequencies to be effective in various situations. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Employee Motivation through Leaders Emotional Intelligence" essay for you Create order In the current situation, emotional intelligence is evaluated as a factor which involves awareness about inner state and recognition of different resources, self-management, awareness about society and purposeful usage of different social skills (Schutte Malouff, 2011). Accordingly, they established that emotional intelligence is inter related with social competencies and abilities that evaluate how effectively individuals understand their ability and demonstrate themselves, having awareness about others feeling and try to handle different type of challenges with managed level of pressures, stress and routine of the daily life. On the other hand, emotion in relation with social intelligence effectively influence personal involvement, personal management and different environmental pressures with a natural and relax manner (Picard et al., 2004).In a study conducted by Batool (2013), it explored the correlation between emotional intelligence and leadership for its effectiveness. On the basis of results, positive significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence and leadership. MotivationMotivation is a word originated from the Latin which means Motives and motives means a moving cause, which is the process of activating properties which are involved in psychological motivation of forces to arouse behavior acting either on or within a person. Along with the fact that motivation is an important component to instruction and learning, one standard definition for the hypothetical construct of motivation does not exist. A process that gives energy and directions along with sustained behavior involve s motivation which is motivated behavior and it is described as guided, directed and sustained (Pratama Corebima, 2016). Motivation state is often described as guided, directed and goal oriented. It can be described as an internal state of an individual that helps to arouse, directs and maintains behavior. It is called internal process which activates, guides, and maintain someones behavior over time. Motivation provides energy for doing something or for desired results. Emotional Intelligence in LeadershipFor leaders, Emotional intelligence is an important variable for success and achievement. There are five areas of competencies and skills which are helpful in leadership performance. These areas are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Goleman, 2006). First, self-awareness is an individual thoughts, feelings, goals, strengths and weaknesses to guide decisions and how these can affect the people of the surroundings. Self-awareness deals with how to behave with humility with other people of surroundings. A leader can improve his self-awareness by observing and slowing down his thoughts. The second is self-regulation which can be defined as the way to manage as well as direct an individuals emotions in different circumstances. In the view of Goleman, this element shows flexibility and personal accountability of the leader with commitment. It can be enhanced through observation of values and code of ethics. It is important for a leader to be accountable and have self-control even in a challenging situation. The third and important element is motivation. Motivated leaders may work consistently to their extreme standards. If any leader is self-motivated, he or she will make the employees motivated as well. Optimistic attitude leads to a betterment and positive work output. The next element contributing to social intelligence is described as empathy. Leaders with such quality think and put themselves to any others situation. They listen from all perspectives and have a constructive feedback. Empathy is of great importance to get respect and loyalty from the employees. This characteristic can be enhanced by putting a leader to someone elses position and feeling, i.e. the body language and response of the feeling. Social skills are the last element regarding social intelligence competence which deals and manages about other peoples emotions for movement in desired direction. Such type of leaders are great communicators. This can be improved through learning conflict resolution, better communication skills, as well as praising others. Theoretical underpinnings of the Emotional Intelligence Model for the emotional intelligence was presented by (Goleman, 2006). Accordingly, there are five areas as self-awareness, self-regulation, social skill, empathy and motivation. These competencies are not innate rather are learned capabilities. These should be developed by outstanding performance. He argues that all the individuals have general abilities by birth which determine their emotional competencies. Another concept explains that emotional intelligence is a combination of mental abilities, physical competencies and other skills which have power to influence success in cooperating with situational requirement and stress (Duncan et al., 2013). Emotional intelligence is a cognitive capability that is different from intelligence but it is closely related with general intelligence. Similarly, emotional intelligence was initially known as the power to monitor ones own feeling and reactions of others. The ability to monitor ones own feeling and reactions of others also helps studen ts to discriminate themselves from others. The usage of this capability guides them in keeping optimistic thinking and action. It is assumed that four inter related capacities are combined to build up emotional intelligence and these forces are known as capabilities which are helpful to understand ones own and other emotions (ER?–ZKAN, 2013)