Call Center Report- from a cultural perspective (includes Essay

Call Center Report- from a cultural perspective (includes communication) - Essay Example The organization acquired necessary property for the call centre and a number of key management employees having British citizenship will supervise the call centre. A UK based company extended the business into the finance and insurance sector with a banking and finance division which was incorporated with around 50,000 customer accounts in mid 2000s. Overtime it became costlier to provide services to the customers; hence to achieve financial savings – in 2011, a decision was taken as part of the five-year strategic plan to open an inbound call centre outside the UK; afterward Manila, Philippine was chosen. The aim of this call centre is to achieve financial savings as well as the benefits of outsourcing while providing satisfactory services to the customers of the company. This report is being prepared to achieve the following objectives: Manila is one of the most energetic and diverse cities of Asia. This city is an extensive mass of humanity, acutely reflecting long heritage of cultures and classes. Straddling the Pasing River’s delta, the Philippines’ capital is actually a group of cities fused into one. There are plenty of highlights in each sub city within Manila. Almost all sorts of life-style facilities and entertainments are available in this city, a number of world’s biggest shopping-malls are in Manila. Depending on the interest of the people vibrant nightlives attract the tourist to Manila (Margaret W. Sullivan, â€Å"The Philippines: Pacific Crossroads†). In the Philippines call centres were started with the services of email responses and relevant managing services. These centres have the capabilities managing and maintaining all types of customer care, customer relations including technical support, travel services, education, financial services, business to business support, business to customer

Compare and Contrast (Society) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare and Contrast (Society) - Essay Example She advocates for individual satisfaction in a marriage rather than sticking in a marriage for a lifetime because it is what society requires. Slater on the other hand, analyses the consequence of self esteem and its effects on a human being. She examines the distinctiveness of people with high and low self esteem. Society norms in both cases are predictable and easily determined. As Kipsin says when one is married they are expected to exercise obedience, compromise and stay as a couple for a lifetime. She argues that such an expectation from society in the modern world is somehow unrealistic. She argues that modern love maximizes on submission and minimizes freedom. She feels that a marriage should be build on freedom and wanting more (755). She feels that marriage is like having a soldier watching over someone all the time. To her traditional societies allowed household dictators and petty tyrants in the private sphere of a family. She believes that love should be subjected to othe r forms of emotional life than subjugation. To her, a marriage necessitates a sophisticated working acquaintance of the intricacies of mutuality (752). Mutuality according to Kipsin id to recognize your partners need and strive to fulfill them. She further says one should meet these needs to the satisfaction of your partner such that you become their desire thus attaining intimacy. She argues that mutuality requires communication so that your partner can understand your needs, desires and even sensitivities. She contradicts these with traditional societies where marriage was considered a business enterprise between families. Partners who hardly knew each other get married not because of their mutual interests but because of family interests. Thus, she argues these relationships were not based on love thus expecting them to last a lifetime in unreasonable. She argues that the main thing is for one to be happy and if society if a marriage is not working one should leave. She says that one cannot be tied in an unhappy union when she can be happily on her own. Society tends to judge people who are separated or divorced as ill-behaved, but she says this should not be the case thus should be avoided. In addition, she says that one should not be seen as lacking character because she is alone but be given their space. She beholds individualism something that society is against. Society always works as a collective unit where all are inclusive. That is why if one is not married, they begin to question. According to Slater, self esteem is a challenge to many American people. She uses research works by scientists like Baumeister and Emler to analogize her views. She argues that self admiration is crucial in the pursuit of contentment. She says that self esteem is not the maim reason why people feel good about themselves but how they relate with others. She uses research work done to analyze high and low self-esteem. She adds that low self esteem is not a dangerous aspect of life. Low self esteem is not the cause of poor academic performance since people with low self esteem tend to do well in life like others and even do better because they try harder (859). In discussing her views, Kipsins encounters several challenges that sway from society expectations. Marriage is a respectable institution in society and to gather the courage to argue about it is difficult. Kipsin boldly tackles marriage

Gene Kranz Essay Example for Free

Gene Kranz Essay Apollo 13 directed by Ron Howard is the story of the real space mission that took place in 1969. The three astronauts had always dreamed of landing on the moon but not long after the astronauts launched into space did they realize that the task would be near impossible due to an explosion of an oxygen tank. Getting home safe became their next mission. A character in this film from whom I learned something is Gene Kranz played by Ed Harris. I learned that thinking calmly helps you and people around you to think positively in hard situations and that instead of being scared and giving up in tough situations, you should think outside the box and find an solution. The audience learns from this about the importance of the idea(s) of leadership attributes and skills. Gene Kranz is an important character in Apollo 13 because even with a responsibility of the whole mission which is going to through a crisis, he was still calm and determined as ever. For example when the whole staff is tensed and worried, Kranz voice cut through a simple command, Lets work the problem, people but not make worse by guessing. This shows me that Ron Howard knew that every problem has a solution, or at least the damage could be managed, but you have to be methodical and work through the issues. Stop worrying, and start working. Another example of a lesson from Gene Kranz is When the NASA director said that this could be the worst disaster in the history of NASA, Kranz cut him off. With all due respect sir, I think this is going to be our finest hour. This shows that he more focused on the positive goal than think the negative. This positiveness also gives him and people around the confidence needed to complete the mission. This is how the script and director show us the importance of leaders positive attitude in tough situations and what I learn from him. Another reason Gene Kranz is a character from whom to learn is because he never portrays any fear or sense of panic that he might be feeling and always thinking clearly as to what can be done next. Always in control and remain in the moment. For example when he says Weve never lost an American in space, were sure as heck not going to lose one on my watch Failure is not an option! By this example Rom Howard shows us that leaders are supposed to have these attributes of Firmness and Flexibility. Being on a firm to do  something and think of flexibly ideas of how to do it. We could also see this when he says I dont care what anything was designed to do. I care about what it can do. As NASAs scientists worked the problem, Kranz made them think outside the box. They broke down systems and used the parts to create new tools and systems that helped saved lives. By showing us these things which he does/says/ experiences, director emphasises the idea of never treating failure as a possible option or outcome which is also important in our own lives. Gene Kranz is an important character from Apollo 13 because the director uses him to teach me lessons about being able to think calmly in tough situations like an anchor in a storm and that to never be scared of failure and give up. These ideas are also importa nt to my own life because there may be a lot of tough situations coming up in my life, which may only be solved only if I dont get scared and think calmly. If I get scared of failure and back off my life would end being a regrettable one.

History Of Cambodia In The 20th Century History Essay

History Of Cambodia In The 20th Century History Essay Cambodia is a country that is about the size of Missouri which is 69,898 square miles or 181,036 square kilometers. Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese peninsula. Thailand borders Cambodia on the northwest side, Vietnam borders Cambodia on the southeast side, and to the southwest is the gulf of Thailand. Phnom Penh is the kingdoms capital and is the largest city. Phnom Penh is the center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities. Cambodia in the 20th Century was under French rule. There were some economic developments that took place in Cambodia. Some of these economic developments were roads and railways were built and the rubber industry grew up. Unfortunately the Cambodians were forced to pay high taxes and from the 1930s Cambodian nationalism grew. The Japanese then occupied Cambodia in 1941. At the beginning the Japanese allowed the French officials to remain in their posts but in March 1945 as the Japanese were losing the war they were very desperate and tried to befriend the Cambodians. Finally they arrested French officials and then Cambodia was declared as independent. When the Japanese surrendered the French took over Cambodia again in October 1945. When the French gain control over Cambodia for the second time they did not allow them to have political parties and a constitution. A treaty of 1949 made Cambodia semi-independent. King Sihanouk dismissed the government in 1952. He took personal control of Cambodia and formed his own political movement. Between the years of 1955 to 1970 he took complete domination of politics that this era was often referred to as the Sihanouk era. His father died in 1960 and he named himself Chief of State. He called this movement Buddhist Socialism. The interesting fact was that this really was not a socialist at all. Sihanouks control started to dwindle in 1968 when the communists began a civil war. In Sihanouk left Cambodia in 1970. After Sihanouk left the country the National Assembly voted to remove his title as chief of state. Cambodia was then renamed Khmer Republic. The communists were in the spot light. Cambodia was bombed by Americans. America bombed this country to try and stop the communists. Then on 17 April 1975 Phnom Phen was finally captured. In the year of 1975 a horrible and devastating incident occurred. In the reign of the Khmer Rouge they were led by Pol Pot who is also known as Brother Number One. Millions of people were killed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. The exact number is not known for certain but the estimated amount is 1.5 million and it may have been as many as 3 million. Pol Pot stated that history would begin again in Cambodia. The first revolution was now the first year of history for Cambodia. Cambodia was mostly an agricultural country in 1975. Pol Pot decided he wanted it to be completely agricultural. All the people who resided in towns and cities were forced to move to the countryside. He also stated that agricultural output should be doubled within four years. This is completely an unrealistic target. He put a banned on private property and collective farms were formed. Workers on these farms were forced to work long hours to try and grow extra rice. They were mistreated because they werent given enough food to eat and many got sick from illness and died from a combination of exhaustion and malnutrition. Pol Pot also banned religion. Any people who were caught practicing Buddhism were automatically executed for it. Family relationships were also banned because he felt that parents exploited their children. If anyone broke a rule even if it was a small rule they would be executed. People were also being executed for being lazy and for complaining. Khmer Rouge also murdered intellectuals. People who spoke a foreign language or who were glasses were executed. This horrible situation was finally ended by the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in December of 1978 and they prevailed very quickly. After Pol Pots capture he escaped and he passed away in 1998. The soldiers that worked under Pol Pot fled to Thailand and they were welcomed by the Thais who feared an invasion by the Vietnamese. The Khmer Rouge still continued to try and cause chaos. They continued a guerrilla war against the Vietnamese. Thankfully the Vietnamese forces withdrew from Cambodia in 1989. After the forces withdrew several different parties decided to try and negotiate amongst one another. The negotiations lead to a Paris Peace Accords of 1991. They abandoned Communism in Cambodia and a provisional government ruled until 1993. After the provisional government was ruled elections were held and a constitution was framed. Sihanouk was made a constitutional monarch and in 1999 Cambodia joined ASEAN. Today Cambodia is still a very poor country. There is hope for this country about its future. In the early years of the 21st Century the Cambodian economy grew very fast and with good results. The fastest growing industry for Cambodia is tourism. Cambodia also has a clothing industry and this industry is beginning to rise as well. Some events that have had an impact on Cambodias economy would have to be Pol Pot and his leadership. Pol Pot tried to make the country into a completely agricultural economy and he tried to do this unrealistically. He wanted production to happen overnight and this was nearly impossible. I also believe the war in Cambodia created a huge impact on Cambodia. Anytime you have leaders who are doing no good for a country and are doing bad it has a huge impact on a country. Many of the Cambodians died when Pol Pot was in charge of the country. Also when a country goes to war this too leads to a poor economy. This is because the country normal has to start all over again from scratch. They have to try and build up their country again or try and make their country more prosperous than it was in the beginning. In doing so this takes time and I believe this is what Cambodia is trying to do now. The current economic system is mainly agricultural but they are also trying to build up their industrial system as well. As mentioned before Cambodia has clothing industry which is helping the country builds up their economic system. The clothing industry is expected to rise within the next few years. Also tourism is the countrys most successful means of industry today. The countrys economic system is a reflection of its history in different ways. For example tourism helps Cambodias economy. This is because many tourists want to visit this country because they are intrigued with the countries. Pol Pot ruined the countrys economy by his controlling leadership style and his unrealistic idea of changing the countrys economic system. Many tourists visit and learn about the countrys history of when Pol Pot was in control and find this very intriguing and this brings many tourists to this country. Tourism is the highest means of industrial success for this country. Therefore I believe this country will be able to have a successful economic system despite their history. I am very optimistic in believing this because I believe that with all the tourism this country is gaining this will help stabilize their economy. However I believe this country might face some problems in doing so. Cambodia is still a very poor country. It is very hard to make a poor country into a successful one. I dont think that Cambodia will ever be a prosperous country but I think they could be successful and be stable. I also think another problem that could result is that another powerful leader could try and take over this country. They banned communism but who is to say that this might be allowed again. If a powerful leader tries to take control of this country this could result in bigger issues than what Cambodia is facing today. This could either mean that the country would go back to being under someone elses power and end up even worse off than what they already are . If this doesnt happen then the country might go to war again to protect their country from a future leader and their control. I dont believe this will happen but it is a concern. I think with that this country has potential it will not happen overnight but I believe that it will be a successful country in the future.

human genome project :: essays research papers fc

What would you do if you were given the power to change your genetic code from brown hair to blond?. Man has had this ability through natural selection for some time without knowing it, but in the near future scientist will be able to speed the process of natural selection by changing a persons genes. Scientists have identified what constitutes human DNA located in the nucleus of a cell. The Human Genome Project was established to identify the genes that make us who we are and is now an international organization. The massive task of identifying the numerous gene combinations has created a problem. In the nucleus are 22 genomes, plus two sex chromosomes which have already been identified. In the 22 genomes there are approximately 3 billion base pairs of DNA, which contain 50,000 to 100,000 genes, a basic unit of heredity. The identification of these base pairs is the goal of the Human Genome Project, which started in 1990 and whose job it is to identify the letters or chromosomes in DNA. These letters represent nucleotides called adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine (or A, C, T, G). ('92 BSCS pg. 1) The Human Genome Project idea originated in the mid 1980's and was discussed in the scientific community and media through the latter part of that decade. In the United States the combined effort of the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health were involved in the project planning. (The National Center For Genetic Research) The Human Genome Project has several goals including identifying the genes of a human assessing the genes and comparing human DNA to that of bacteria, yeasts, the fruit fly, mice, and the Arabidopis thaliana, a small genome plant that grows rapidly. A major purpose is to determine how evolution proceeds from lower organisms to humans, and discover why the smaller genomes of animals have less junk or unneeded DNA. Geneticists use two types of maps to characterize the genes they discover--a genetic linkage map and a physical map. A genetic map registers the distance between the fragments of DNA we know according to the frequency with which they are inherited. The physical map measures the actual physical distance between two markers. Scientists want to map and develop technology for rapid genotyping, plus develop markers that are easy to use as well as generate new mapping techniques. (Instrumentation) Scientists can map genes but it is still expensive.

HITLERS BODY AND THE BODY POLITIC :: essays research papers

HITLER'S BODY AND THE BODY POLITIC __________________________________ I study ideology as if manifest content of a dream, seeking to comprehend the ideology's latent content or unconscious meaning. I observe recurring images and metaphors within ideological productions. Through systematic analysis of these recurring images and metaphors, it is possible to reveal the deep structure of an ideology. Ideologies are social constructions. However, why do they exist? What is the nature of the psychic work that they perform? I suggest that ideologies constitute vehicles for working through deep-rooted psychological issues. Hitler's ideology, for example, represented the medium through which Hitler attempted to come to terms with the problem of death. Hitler's project was to create a people so closely united-fused together--that they could think, feel and act as a single organism. Such a body politic would be indestructible, not only in the present but in the future as well. Hitler and the Nazis devoted their lives toward creating an organism that would be different from all other organisms. They aspired to fashion a body (politic) that was so healthy and powerful that it would not succumb to death. The Jew in Hitler's ideology was a force working to destroy Germany. National Socialism was the attempt to come to terms with this destructive force. The "Final Solution"--concluding phase of Hitler's struggle against death-represented a form of radical surgery whose purpose was to "remove" Germany's death instinct, quash the process of disintegration. ___________________________________________________________________ The complete paper by Richard A. Koenigsberg is available for the first time as an on-line publication. To read HITLER'S BODY AND THE BODY POLITIC, please visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~libraryofsocialscience/online_pubs.htm ___________________________________________________________________ Hitler had projected the struggle of "life against death" into the political arena and waged a furious battle to "maintain the body of the people." Hitler aspired to defeat death by embracing the idea of a body politic that could live forever. However, in spite of his efforts, Hitler could not rid himself of "anxiety of being destroyed from within." The "Jew" represented Hitler's experience and perception of his own death instinct, recognition or realization that all bodies die. In spite of Hitler struggle to deny death, he could not entirely repress the voice of truth. Yet Hitler refused to heed this inner voice declaring that all bodies die.

Influences on Human Nature Essay

Human nature is the central characteristics, including the ways of thinking, acting, and reacting that are shared by most or all human beings, and which humans display naturally. Each one of us is a unique being and various facets of human nature determine our individual personalities. The question posed by personality theorists is, what factors influence the development of our personalities? Simply stated, how did we become who we are? Who we are is not determined by any one characteristic or concept of human nature, but by combination of influences. Is human nature determined by our own free will or is it pre-determined by our past experiences and forces which we have no control? Are we dominated by our inherited nature and genetic composition or the nurturing environment of our background and education? Are we dependent or independent of our past? Is human nature unique or universal? Are our life goals motivated by the simple satisfaction of physical needs, or are we driven by a deeper need for growth and progress? Is man kind’s outlook one of optimism or pessimism? Do humans develop relationally or individually? Questions about human nature focus on these central issues and theorists attempt to answer this question, while defining their image of human nature. Free Will versus Determinism The ability to make choices unrestricted by certain factors is called free will. In contrast to free will, determinism dictates that there are forces over which we have no control. These forces externally shape our personality and that each event is determined by preceding events. How can we have free will if everything is determined for us? On the other hand, if everything is determined, how can we have free will? Free will and determinism are companions and you cannot have one without the other. We need to feel that our will is free and not determined for us. We need to be able to assign responsibility, bestow blame and praise, and allocate punishments and rewards. If we do not have free will, are we then not responsible for the choices we make? If we are not responsible for our actions, then we should not be punished when our behavior justifies it. The decisions we make, and the emotional reactions we feel, about the choices we make, are a learning process. When we make a choice, we learn from the outcome. The next time we are in the position to make a similar choice, we draw on our experiences and either choose similarly, or differently, depending on our previous outcome. In this sense, it can be said that determinism is a strong factor. The choice made is determined by the outcome of previous decisions. We cannot learn to choose more wisely, unless we can recognize a particularly good or bad choice. Gordon Allport held a balanced position on the free will versus determinism debate. Allport bestowed free choice in our considerations about our future. However, Allport also recognized that some behaviors are determined by personality traits and personal dispositions. Once the behaviors are formed, they are difficult to modify (p. 203). Inherited Nature versus Nurturing Environment For the purpose of the nature versus nurture debate, nature is defined as inherited traits and attributes. Nurture is the characteristics of our environment (nurturing influences of education, childhood, and guidance). Given that genetics and environment both influence human nature and personality, which plays a greater role? The genes we inherit determine physical characteristics about us from the color of our eyes, hair, and skin to how tall or short we will be. However, behavioral tendencies and personality attributes are not hard-wired. As human beings, we are features of our environment and the conditions by which we live shape our personality and our intelligence. We come by our personality traits through observed behaviors, not through genetic endowment. At birth a child’s mind is a blank slate. How he develops from birth is determined by the knowledge he obtains and his experiences. Adopted children support this position. A baby girl is surrendered by her biological parents and adopted. As she grows, she receives high marks throughout school and is accepted to a prestigious college. Is this child academically successful because of her genes, or is her success a result of the enriched environment her adopted parents provided? Adoptive and foster parents have a much greater impact on the personalities of their adopted and fostered offspring than the genes inherited from birth parents. The nurturing environment is the dominant influence on development and behavior. Erik Erikson supports this position in his theory. Erikson held that personality is affected more by learning and experiences and less by hereditary. Psychosocial experiences have a greater influence on personality, not biological forces (p. 172). Dependent versus Independent of Our Past Is personality more influenced by our past events? Or are people independent of the past, with personalities more powerfully shaped by events which occur later in life? For some, personality is dependent on childhood and subject to little change over the course of life. For others, personality is independent of the past. These individuals are influenced by their own experiences, as well as by their objectives and ambitions. For those independent of their past, early experiences do contribute to the formation of personality, but not permanently. On the issue of whether we are shaped more by past experiences, or events which occur later in life, there is no one size fits all answer. Every psyche is unique and each one of us draws on the more powerful determinant. Human nature is both dependent and independent of our past. In one individual the events he experiences in childhood and adolescent years may be a strong contributing factor to his personality. In another, the here and now events of her later life may be the stronger factor in who she has become. An example is given for both sides of the continuum. A brother and sister, one year apart, are raised by the same mother and the men who enter and exit their lives. The two children lead a dysfunctional childhood fraught with homelessness, neglect, poor adult guidance, and mental, physical, and sexual abuse. From adolescence on the brother takes a dark path. He murders a third sibling and is institutionalized. Within a short time of his release from the sanitarium, he commits arson (burns down his sister’s apartment) and is sent to state prison. Upon his release from state prison he leads the life of a drifting loner with anti-social tendencies. Now a 42 year old man he has no family of his own (a good choice given the danger he presents to others at times); possesses only an eighth grade education; is paranoid schizophrenic and suffers from delusions; and cannot maintain employment for extended periods of time. The male child is an example of historical determinism. The extremely unfortunate serious of events of his childhood have made him who he is. His personality is dependent on his past; it was mostly fixed in the early years and has changed little throughout his life. The sister half of the equation began her adolescent and early adult years coping with her past in her own dysfunctional way. While early on she turned to methamphetamine use and sexual promiscuity as escapes from the past, she made a cognitive choice in her 30s not lead the life of her mother. The trigger of a life change for her was predominantly self-motivated by her hopes and aspirations for a future. However, it was influenced by negative events she had experienced in her present situation, as well as positive relationships she formed. She is now 43 years old, married and has four beautiful children. She works full time, owns a beautiful home, is growing in Christ, working toward a college degree, and has goals and aspirations for a fantastic future. Her personality is one completely independent of the past; it was not fixed by the tragic events of her childhood. While childhood and adolescent experiences may have contributed negatively early on to shaping her personality, it was not permanent. She is influenced by events and experiences in the present and they have modified her early personality traits to make her a happy, healthy, productive member of society. Albert Bandura supports the position that behaviors can be modified. He believed that our self-efficacy and a set of ideal behaviors are established in childhood. However, these early experiences can be reversed later in life, and performance standards and behaviors may be replaced (p. 344). Carl Jung also believed we are affected more by our experiences in middle age and our hopes and expectations for the future (p. 102). Unique versus Universal The position that personalities are unique holds that each person’s action has no complementing action or behavior in any other individual. There is no comparing one person to another. The universal position follows that there are overall patterns of behavior among people. That within individuals of the same culture, there are similar identifiable behaviors. Is there such a thing as an innate universal characteristic of human nature? Our experiences shape our behavior; however, two people with a universal pattern (such as those from the same tribe); still grow into two separate and unique individuals. The human personality is both unique and universal. While fully functioning persons share some universal characteristics, we all possess traits unique to the individual. Maslow reinforces uniqueness of personality in his theory. Maslow believed that incentive and needs are universal, but how the needs are met differs between individuals because behaviors are learned. He went on to state that even self-actualizers, despite the fact they share certain abilities, do not have identical behaviors (p. 256). Satisfaction versus Growth Theorists break down the issue of our life goals to opposing motivating factors. Are we driven by satisfaction or growth? If satisfaction is the goal, we are content as long as balance is maintained and our needs are met. In contrast some theorists believe our major motivation is growth. The choice of growth or satisfaction is different from one individual to another. A man in his forties has a comfortable home, a family who love and respect him, plays golf on Saturdays, goes on vacation once a year, and has a job with a decent salary. While he has not reached his fullest potential, or all of the goals he initially set out to attain, this man is satisfied. His position is one that his needs are met, and he sees no need to expend the energy or stress for further growth or development. He may even ask himself, what more could I want? Sigmund Freud took the satisfaction position in his pessimistic view of human nature. Freud believed that we continually experience stress and conflict and that the ultimate goal was to reduce stress (p. 61). While some individuals are satisfied as long as their needs are met and they can sustain a stress free life, others crave knowledge and growth of body and mind. A woman in her forties is in a similar situation as the man in the above example. She has a comfortable home, a family who love and respect her, goes on vacation once a year, and a job with a decent salary. However, the woman is not satisfied. She is driven by her desire for growth, and the need to improve herself. She has aspirations for the future, a longing to help others, and recognizes she has not achieved full potential. While she can certainly live comfortably in her present situation, she knows that she has not reached self-actualization. She realizes that she would not only be cheating herself, but those who surround her and society, by not persevering until she reaches her goals. Carl Rogers supports this position in his theory. Rogers believed our outlook is progressive rather than regressive, toward growth rather than stagnation. In his opinion we seek challenge and stimulation, instead of the satisfaction of familiarity (p. 274). Optimism versus Pessimism For centuries theorists have examined the question of optimism or pessimism. Do humans have an essentially optimistic outlook on life, a positive, upbeat, and hopeful view? Or is the human personality one of a pessimistic outlook, a negative, hopeless view? On the issue of whether our virtues outweigh our shortcomings, in general most of us are optimistic. Collectively, we are socially conscious, unselfish beings with a drive to improve the world around us. People are basically good, caring, and kindhearted. To believe anything else would create a dark portrait of human nature, one of despair and hopelessness. Pessimists would argue that there are wars being waged all over the world, entire cultures being treated as second-class citizens, and poverty is rampant. However, these occurrences do not originate from our human nature. They are activated under given conditions, enabled or hindered by social environments. Gordon Allport presents an optimistic view of adults in control of their lives. We rationally attend to current situations, plan for the future, and form and identity (p. 203). Erik Erikson had an optimistic view of human nature. He believed that although not everyone successful in their goal to attain hope, wisdom, and the other merits of intrinsic worth, we all possess the ability to do so (p. 172). Individual versus Relational Personalities are formed both individually and relationally. When we are born we develop relationally. We form bounds with our parents, siblings, and care-givers relying on them for our needs. During this phase of life, how we grow individually is determined by these early relationships. In return, our relationships often motivate and nurture us to grow individually. For healthy development of the psyche, personalities must form individually and relationally. My own growth is an example of how this continuum is not a matter of individual or relational, but instead individual and relational. For more than ten years I was a lost soul struggling with methamphetamine addiction, depression, periods of homelessness, and all around selfish bad choices. During this dark period, I did not have healthy relationships. At that point in my life, I had lost sight of who I once was and did not like the person I saw in the mirror. When I made the decision to reclaim my life, initially I could not form healthy relationships, or repair damaged ones. I first needed to concentrate on healing myself and developing as an individual. During this healing period, I made a friend and my relational growth fostered my individual growth. Because of this one individual, I have grown individually and reached goals I never would have dreamed possible without the inspiration and love fostered by this relationship. We all have relationships which stimulate our individual growth. In contrast, there are also situations where we cannot develop relationally until we are secure as individuals. The individual versus relational issue was not a continuum addressed in the text book, nor could scholarly information on theorist’s positions on the question be found in my search. Conclusion Human nature is a combination of instincts and environment which compose how we decide on which actions to take. There is no right or wrong answer to the questions about human nature posed by personality theorists. It is easy to see why theorists such as Fromm, Murray, Jung, and Erikson leaned neither right nor left on three or four of the six issues. When first assigned the project, I held a firm position on where I stood on each of the issues. In an attempt to better understand the fundamental issues themselves, I began to read what surely amounted to hundreds of pages of material on the questions about human nature. These essays, papers, definitions, and postulates were written by psychologists, theologians, students, and (I’m ashamed to admit) the folks at Wikipedia and Ask. com. The more I read, the more I began to drift from my previous position on most of the issues. To counter this, I would read more viewpoints in a fruitless search to find something, anything, which held a firm position one way or another on any of the questions. I was desperate for an answer that would lead me back to a firm right or left position on the issues. I discovered that on the questions about human nature, there is no black and white answer; the answers are different for each of us.