Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example for Free

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Although not originally well received, Edgar Allan Poe, became one of the most influential literary writers in American history. As a child, he wrote numerous poems, many which were later published. As a young adult he focused much of his attention on short fiction. He was credited with creating the detective story and known for his psychological and often violent thrillers. He is also known for his macabre themes and for having a fascination with death. Literary students should recognize these characteristics associated with Poes writings were shaped by many tragedies in his life, such as abandonment of his father, untimely deaths of his mother, brother, wife, and other loved ones, and the problems he faced with his adoptive father. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to New York where his father, David Poe, resumed his acting career. David soon quit acting and abandoned his family. He died a short time later (Harrison 22). Soon afterward, Edgars mother, Elizabeth, became ill and died (Nilsson). A young woman named Frances (also known as Fanny) and her husband, John Allan, took in Edgar. Soon thereafter, John, a tobacco trader, moved the family to England. There, Edgar began his first formal education. In 1820, when the tobacco market in London collapsed, the Allans returned to New York (Benfey; Nilsson). Edgar continued his education, excelling in Latin and French. During this time he was also in search of a maternal figure. Although fond of Fanny Allan, her poor health limited her ability to fulfill a motherly role. Edgar found a substitute in Mrs. Jane Stanard, a mother of one of his classmates. Unfortunately, she died a year later at age thirty-one (Nilsson). After her death, John Allan described Edgar as sulky and ill tempered to all the family (qtd. in Thompson). Mr. Allan felt insulted by Edgars behavior, especially when considering all he had done for Edgar. This was the beginning of the deterioration of the relationship between Edgar and John Allan that would provide conflict in Edgars life for many years to follow (Thompson). In 1826, Edgar attended the University of Virginia. He was an outstanding student and excelled in various languages, debating, writing, and athletics.  At age sixteen he fell in love with and became engaged to a girl named Elmira Royster. While away at college, he wrote her frequently but her father intercepted the letters (Thompson). Edgar was upset when he did not receive any replies. In addition to this disappointment, life at the school was chaotic and dangerous (Benfey). There were fights with students throwing bricks and bottles at professors and problems with students gambling. Edgar described one situation in a letter to John Allan in which he stated that one student was struck on the head with a large stone and in response he pulled a pistol. On another occasion he wrote about a student that bit another student, which Edgar described as, it is likely that pieces of flesh as large as my hand will be obliged to be cut out (Carlson). While away at school, Poe obtained large gambling debts and blamed John Allan for not providing proper financial support. When, Poe returned to Richmond during a school break, Allan reportedly broke off Poes engagement to Elmira (Carlson). He (Allan) then sent Edgar to work at his company instead of sending him back to school (Thompson). In 1827, Edgar and John Allans relationship completely fell apart. Poe wrote, Ive heard you say. . . that you have no affection for me (qtd. in Nilsson). Edgar moved out and while on the streets developed a problem with alcohol. Before long he obtained employment with a small newspaper and provided the printer with some of his early manuscripts. This resulted in a booklet entitled, Tamerlane and Other Poems. The main poem is a story about a warrior who returns home to find his childhood love has died and all his dreams gone. The writing was clearly influenced by Poes own plight in life and his failed relationship with Elmira Royster (Nilsson). Shortly thereafter, Poe lied about his age and used a fictitious name to enter the United States Army. In 1829, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a noncommissioned officer (Thompson). Meanwhile, Fanny Allan became seriously ill and died. Edgar arrived home after her burial. Feeling guilty for leaving Fanny, he wrote, I have had a fearful warning and have hardly ever known before what distress was (qtd. in Nilsson). After Fanny died, John Allan decided to forgive Edgar for their past problems and support his decision to leave the army to get into West  Point Military Academy (Nilsson). In April 1829, Edgar left the army, returned to Richmond, Virginia, and waited to be accepted as a cadet at West Point. During this time, John Allan became impatient and accused Edgar of being lazy. Their relationship became worse when Edgar requested financial assistance. As he waited for admittance, Edgar returned to Baltimore and continued writing poetry. There, a company named Hatch and Dunning printed his writing Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems. This literature centers on the ideas associated with the concept of life after death and ideal love, an obvious reflection on Poes relationships with loved ones. In 1830, Edgar finally entered West Point. He climbed to the top rankings in his class. However, John Allan remarried a much younger woman and sent Edgar a letter stating he had no interest in further contact with him. This resulted in Edgars desire to leave West Point. When Allan did not assist Edgar with his plans to leave the academy, Edgar began to get into trouble. By January 1831, he had committed enough offenses that he was court-martialed and dismissed from the military. He left West Point in February and traveled to New York City before eventually returning to Baltimore (Thompson; Nilsson). While in Baltimore, he met many of his biological relatives for the first time. He also became very close with his brother, Henry. Unfortunately, Henry died six months later due to alcohol poisoning. After his brothers death, Edgar began to write seriously again. Hoping to earn more money, he changed from writing poetry to writing fiction. He wrote his first published story, The Dream, which encompassed much of Edgars past and was thought to have been inspired by his brothers death (Nilsson). In this writing, the narrator dreams that a person he killed has come back though an opening in the sky. As the terrifying character approaches, the narrator awakes. He also wrote a Gothic tale, Metzengerstein, about a feud between a count and a baron. The count eventually is burned in a fire and transforms into a horse. The baron captures the horse and when a fire breaks out in the barons castle the horse carries him into the fire. As the smoke rises upward, a figure of a horse becomes visible (Poes Tales 213-221). Next, Poe published four short stories all concerning the subject of surviving  death. In one story, A Decided Loss (later titled Loss of Breath), the narrator, lost his breath, got his skull crushed, was hanged, had his ears cut off by a coroner, gets cut up and is still alive although repeatedly killed (Nilsson). Edgar continued to have financial problems and in 1833 he moved in with his aunt, Maria Clemm, and his cousin Virginia (Thompson). In 1834, John Allan died. Although Allan was worth about three-quarters of a million dollars, Edgar received nothing (Nilsson). After Allans death, Edgar moved to Richmond and began work for Thomas Willis Whites new magazine, The Southern Literary Messenger. Edgar had fallen in love with Virginia and planned to have her and Maria reside with him in Richmond (Nilsson). Maria, however, intended for her and Virginia to move in with another relative, Neilson Poe (Thompson). Neilson had offered to remove them from the poverty they experienced with Edgar. Edgar was upset and threatened suicide if they left. He was devastated by the prospect of losing Virginia. After they left, Poe quit his job and returned to Baltimore. In September, he and Virginia obtained a marriage license and may have been privately married (Nilsson). Poe returned to work for White, and brought Virginia and Maria back to Richmond with him (Thompson). Poe advised White on articles, proofread for the magazine, and wrote some short stories. During this time his writings centered on gothic fiction. His writings were strongly influenced by, German romantic writers who gave the English Gothicism their own twists and, disregarding probability, greatly exaggerated elements of the horrible and the supernatural (Nilsson). Poe was especially fond of the kind of personal narration called tale of sensation where the persons are usually solitary victims of a life-threatening predicament, about to be executed, or about to have a fatal accident (Nilsson). One of his stories, Loss of Breath, clearly demonstrates these characteristics. Poe took over the official position as editor for the Messenger and turned the magazine into a popular and well-respected regional journal. In 1836, Poe was officially married to Virginia. Although steadily employed, after  the marriage Poe continued to incur debts. In the fall of 1836, his editorial qualities began to suffer. Alcohol abuse was suspected and White removed Poe as editor. Poe soon completely left the Messenger and moved briefly to New York before settling in Philadelphia. (Nilsson; Thompson). After almost three years of free-lance writing, Poe accepted a job as assistant editor for Burtons Gentlemans Magazine. There, he wrote ninety-eight book-reviews and produced large number of articles on other topics. He also wrote, The Fall of the House of Usher, one of his famous gothic horror stories. This is a complex story about a bother and sister (twins) from a cursed family who share a soul with the decaying mansion they reside in. Poe includes the idea of moral decay by hinting at incest, burial alive, and a return from the grave in this thriller about the forces of life and death (Poes Tales 128-144). He also wrote about William Wilson, a man that kills himself but does not die (Poes Tales 3-21). In June 1840, Poe left the magazine due to low pay and a desire to start his own magazine. Poe was unsuccessful with his own magazine and eventually accepted a position for $800 a year working for George Rex Graham who purchased Burtons Gentlemans Magazine and renamed it Grahams Ladys and Gentlemans Magazine. Poe conducted proofreading, wrote reviews, and sometimes engaged in editorial work. He also did some writing but was better known as a critic than as a poet during this period. In the April 1841 issue of Grahams, Poe published The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Nothing similar to this work had ever been published and it has been credited as the first modern detective story. In fact, this work influenced the evolution of stories and the future of movies ever since it was published. An example of how Poes stories influenced future writers include the use of private detectives in contrast to police detectives, the narrator whom is not the main detective in the story, and the analytic process of crime solving techniques. Poes work helped increase the circulation of Grahams from 5500 to 40,000. Though he was successful, he became bored with his position and resigned in July 1842 (Nilsson). Meanwhile, Virginia became very ill with tuberculosis. Her illness hit Poe  hard and he did everything possible to help ease her suffering. The influence of her illness can be seen in his writings of this time. Poe wrote Life in Death and The Masque of the Red Death while taking care of Virginia (Nilsson). Life in Death is about a painter and his sick wife. Ironically, as the painter completes his portrayal of his wife, she dies. The Masque of the Red Death is about a prince trying to save his diseased country from the figure called The Red Death (Poes Tales 201-207). This story was derived from Poes knowledge of both the bubonic plague and the Philadelphia cholera epidemic. As Virginias condition grew worse, Poe suffered and again turned to heavy alcohol consumption. During this time Poe published a few revisions of older poems as well as a few new ones. He also published The Pit and the Pendulum, a tale of a man tortured by the Spanish Inquisition (Poes Tales 221-234). He also worked on his crime and detection stories which include The Mystery of Marie Roget, The Black Cat, and The Tell-Tale Heart. The Mystery of Marie Roget is the first true detective story to try to solve a crime. The Tell-Tale Heart is a tale about the murder of an elderly man whose heart continues to beat as police question the narrator. The beating heart eventually drives the narrator to his confess his crime (Poes Tales 289-293). In The Black Cat, the narrator kills a cat but it keeps coming back to life. While again attempting to kill the cat, he slices his wifes head in two with a cleaver. He hides her corpse in a wall but the cats howls lead the police to the location of the body (Poes Tales 518-527). In November 1846, Poe published one of his best short stories, The Cask of Amontillado. This short story is similar to Poes other crime fiction however there is no confession by the perpetrator. The narrator completes his revenge by capitalizing on his opponents prideful nature and lures him into a catacomb where he is sealed inside. The narrator hints at a feeling of guilt but since the story is told as a reflection of the past, it is clear that no one else knows of the crime (Poes Tales 207-213). In January 1847, Virginia finally died from complications of tuberculosis. Although he was devastated, Poe continued to write and lecture. He also reportedly found romantic relationships with several women, including the  former Sarah Elmira Royster, his first love who since had been married. On October 7th, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found unconscious on a street in Baltimore. He died three days later in a local hospital (Nilsson; Thompson). His death has been attributed to alcoholism, however some researchers at the University Maryland Medical Center suspect he might have died from rabies (Shea). Edgar Allan Poe faced numerous obstacles during the course of his life. Although raised by a family with some wealth, Poe was always in a state of financial crisis. Among the relatives and friends of the Allans, Poe was an outsider and maintained a low socio-economic status. In addition, his losses include almost all the people who ever demonstrated any kind of love for him. An analysis of his writings reflects the psychological trauma that he obtained throughout his life. Although these problems kept Poe from immediate success, they had a profound effect on his style and the subject matter of his published works, which eventually made many of his writings popular in and out of the classroom today. Works Cited Benfey, Christopher. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. The New Republic 24 Feb. 1992. Carlson, Eric W. Edgar Allan Poe. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 74 American Short-Story Writers Before 1880. 1988 pp. 303-322. The Gale Group Harrison, James A. Life of Edgar Allan Poe New York: Haskell, 1970. Nilsson, Christoffer. Qrisses Edgar Allan Poe Pages 1996-1998. 29 Nov. 1999 Poes Tales of Mystery and Imagination. London: Dent, 1963 Shea, Christopher. Researcher Says Rabies, Not Alcoholism, May Have Killed Poe Chronicle of Higher Education Sept. 1996. 2 Dec. 1999 Thompson, G.R. Edgar Allan Poe. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 3. Antebellum Writers in New York and the South. 1979. pp. 249-297. The Gale Group Note: In addition, the following source was indirectly used: Edgar Allan Poe. Encarta 1999. CD-ROM. Redmond: Microsoft,1993-1998

Iago in William Shakespeares Othello Essay -- William shakespeare Oth

Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello William Shakespeare, born: 1564 died: 1616, is considered one of the greatest writers who has ever lived. He had a unique way of putting things into words. All of his plays, sonnets, and poems have gotten great recognition. But when Shakespeare wrote Othello he created one of the most controversial villains of all times; Iago. He is best described as disturbing, ruthless, and amoral. No other character can even come close to his evil (Iago: The 1). Iago, in the play Othello, is a very intriguing villain. Even though he is often referred to as "Honest" Iago, he lies, cheats, steals, bullies, and even kills just to get what he wants (Iago as 1). Iago starts off being evil when he finds out that Othello gave Cassio the position of lieutenant that he felt he deserved. To take this position from Cassio he must not let his conscience get in his way. This is not a problem with Iago because he has no conscience. Iago is able to manipulate anyone who gets in the way of his goals. He does this over and over during the course of the play. He uses all the characters to destroy Othello. He used the tension that was already existent to bring him down. And he also uses his intense sense of intuition. Iago is an excellent judge of character. He also makes it seem like he posseses characteristics that he really doesn’t have. Iago often wonders why someone would pretend to be something they are not, when in fact that is exactly what he represents. He has many fronts that he can put up. Every character in Othello had a relationship with the different sides of his personality. He uses this to his advantage in the case of Roderigo loving Desdemona. By knowing that Roderigo is madly in love with her, he knows he will do anything to be with Desdemona. Iago says about Roderigo, " Thus do I ever make a fool of my purse;" (1.3.353). By going on what he knows about Roderigo, he is able to get money and jewels from him. He doesn’t even think twice before taking things from someone who supposedly considers Iago to be his friend. Iago is also capable of thinking very quickly in any situation. This makes him able to handle himself when something he does not expect happens. He can recognize the advantages of trust and uses it to gain what he wants. He has it in his mind that if he has everyone's trust no one will ever expect him to be at... ...ll the people that are in a higher position and are more powerful than he is. Iago refuses to cooperate with those people that do posses more power than he does. This is just one of the many examples of Iago’s distorted ways of thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Considering all the hatred and jealousy Iago possesses, how could anyone see good in such a ruthless, merciless sociopath. When William Shakespeare created Iago, he could not have made such an ideal villain. Iago stands for the eponymy of evil. He represents hatred and all that is bad. He lacks any credibility for his motives and takes great pleasure in his ability to destroy the lives of Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, and Emilia. He created all the madness in the play but was never caught until the end finally arrived. Iago said it himself, â€Å" I am not what I am† (1.1.62). He proves this clearly that he seems like he is always watching out for people when really he is out to devastate the lives of so many. Even though Iago was successful in eliminating Othello and the others, he was not victorious in the end because the problems he caused, deaths especially, cannot be resolved. Ironically everything that Iago pretended to be led to his end.

Criminal Behavior: the Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing

Running head: SOCIAL CONTROL, STRAIN, SOCIAL LEARNING, AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Imagine someone telling you that â€Å"you are the product of your environment†, what does that mean? Imagine a girl who has decided to pursue a career as a stripper. All of her friends are strippers and the new people she meets are those she has met while stripping. Would it be easy for her to quit that job?What would happen if she moved away and was surrounded by well-educated individuals? – Individuals who gave her strong social support and a good positive influence. What about the youth living in a deprived neighborhood, surrounded by small hopes and dreams for the future and low supervision? Is it possible that they become just like everyone else in their community? Let us compare an individual who lives in a disorganized community with an individual in a more organized and structured community, which one is more likely to develop criminal and delinquent behaviors?The purpose of this study is to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on three theories: social control theory, social learning theory, and strain theory. The idea in which the environment is the context within which all social relations occur has been brought to our attention by Lewin (1943) and can be used to make concept of a major factor in developing criminal and delinquent behaviors.Lewin proposed that the fundamental principle of social psychology research is that human behavior is a function of not only the person, but of the environment as well (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011). A large body of research has been done regarding the human behavior as a function of their â€Å"life space† and the person’s environment, such as neighborhoods, schools, work, and their friendships. Lewin states that pa rticular places can serve as â€Å"contact zones† (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011) and support certain kinds of interaction.These â€Å"contact zones† are formed between people and the physical characteristics of the built and natural world they live in (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011). Social control theory, strain theory, and social learning theory were all proposed by a variety of researchers strongly supporting the link between environment and the development of criminal minds. The theories supported are thought of as individual-level processes (Hoffman, 2003).The social control theory, for example, is the thought that community disorganization lessens bonding mechanisms by making parental supervision and interpersonal attachments more vague (Hoffman, 2003; Elliot et al. , 1997; Shaw & McKay, 1931). With community disorganization comes little to no control. The community is usually distinguished by residential instability and a high ratio of broken families as well as single p arents; reducing the likelihood of efficient socialization and supervision of the youth.A research study was conducted by Baskin & Sommers (2011) to determine whether placement instability played a role in developing delinquent/criminal behavior; results indicated that the children with more instability were more likely to be arrested and have a criminal record. Community disorganization reduces social support structure and weakens an important source of conformed bonding and success in socialization: effective parenting.Empirical research has sustained the idea that the influence of social bonds differs in each type of community and disorganized communities have a negative effect on the competence of social bonds to greatly reduce delinquent behavior. A lot of this is seen in our own communities and the communities surrounding us. It is all about where the person lives, where he goes to school, and whom he chooses to hang out with.The initial development of the strain theory was de veloped by Merton (1968) where he proposed that opportunity structures greatly affect the ability to grasp common cultural goals, such as the pursuit for monetary gain (Hoffman, 2003). The individual-level component of the strain theory is basically the strain of striving to reach goals within various forms of opportunity structures that could lead to adjustments such as deviant behaviors, delinquency, and even crime.With the assumption that opportunity structures differ in each community, it is safe to say that the effects of strains caused by the disunity between goals and means on deviant behavior will differ in every community (Hoffman, 2003). In other words, the strained youth in disorganized communities have a more realistic picture of their situation, so criminal adaption’s become more likely. Agnew (1992) elaborated this theory to form a concept by broadening the notion of strain with adding a variety of sources, such as families, schools, and cognitive skills (Hoffma n, 2003).Agnew assumes that the deprived communities are more likely to have strained youths and that these communities will suffer from more blocked or â€Å"strained† opportunity structures (Hoffman, 2003; Agnew, 1999). What is meant by Agnew’s new definition of this strain theory is that these communities develop an atmosphere that is based on anger and frustration; this could mean a greater chance of â€Å"going with the flow† to maybe prove themselves as â€Å"tough guys† to other communities.The social learning theory or differential association proposes that criminal associations and favoring conflict differ within each community type; it is this differentiation that explains the distribution of crime rates (Hoffman, 2003; Cressey, 1960; Reinarman & Fagan, 1988). Individuals embedded within certain communities are either exposed to or opposed to criminal behavior. Akers (1998) sees the sources in these differences: â€Å"The less solidarity, cohes ion, or integration there is within a group†¦ the higher will be the rate of crime and deviance† (Hoffman, 2003).In other words, social structural influences on criminal behaviors are fully reconciled by social learning processes. Many researchers stress that the DSM-IV diagnosis applied to criminals completely misses the mark and the idea of their environment is not enough (Stuart, 2004). Some researchers believe that sociological and environmental theories do not include the important concept of individual choice: â€Å"Crime resides within the person, not the environment† (Stuart, 2004). Other research, however, supports the importance of living in a good environment to prevent the development of a criminal mind.Although some researchers may suggest the treatment should be to focus on changing the patterns of thinking of criminals and to hold them accountable for every violation of moral thoughts, other researchers now believe that these efforts are slightly mis directed (Hoffman, 2003; Stuart, 2004, Baskin & Sommers, 2011). Other research suggests that even with punishment one can only discourage the criminal act to a greater or lesser degree, restrain the secret manifestation of a criminal urge, but the punishment ill not reconstruct the criminal mind, or avert its development in the individual (The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1928). The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1928) proposes that the criminal mind is not different from that of the sane mind. Of course, many individuals do deviate themselves from the strain of their environment and negative influences simply because of their own personal values and the will to want to better themselves and their way of living. The proposed study will examine the moderating effects of the environment on developing criminal behaviors based on where the individuals grew up/came from.The study is based on the social control, strain, and social learning theories. There have be en very few studies that examine the impact of these theories and their consequences on the general individual-level processes that affect the person’s adaption’s to an environment exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors. Furthermore, by investigating these theories, this study might be able to determine which variables, if not all, indicate the development of criminal minds and delinquent behaviors.It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Some participants will be from a more deprived area of town; they are considered to be part of a disorganized as well as strained community. Others will be from an average to more up scaled living environment; they are part of a more organized community who are influenced by everyone around them to want to have a better living. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their †Å"way of living†.However, in general, participants in a more disorganized and strained community will suffer from more blocked opportunity structures, poor supervision, negative bonding mechanisms, and poor residential stability because despite having personal choices, an individual is always a product of his environment. Method Participants There will be approximately 850 participants in the proposed study that will serve as a representative sample of ninth grade students from U. S. high schools. Participants will be selected from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES).In exchange for their participation, participants will be given a raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Design The proposed study will be using the longitudinal method. The independent variables will be the type of community the participants live in (organized/disorganized), their friendships, monetary strain, blocked opportunity structures, and parental supervision. The depen dent variable will be their acquired behaviors, which will be examined (according to the variation of delinquency theories), by the data drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS).The NELS is â€Å"a longitudinal study designed to explore the impact of families and schools on a variety of educational, vocational, and behavioral outcomes† (Howard, 2003). The friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory, the stress for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures will be used to examine the strain theory, and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Procedure The representative sample for this study will be drawn by NELS.This sample will then be interviewed. At the beginning of the interview, the parents of the participants as well as the participants themselves will be specifically informed that all private information will be strictly confidential and will be used for research purposes only. The parents will then be given an informed consent to read through. As the participants from the subsample come in for the interview, they will be asked a variety of questions regarding delinquent behavior. All of this data will then be entered in NCES.The NELS data will then be used to examine the community characteristics that condition the impact of pertinent variables on deviant behaviors in the modern lives of these adolescents. Data from NCES will match their residential addresses to census identifiers. Census tracts are used to examine the impact of neighborhoods on various outcomes. The participants will then be interviewed during their senior year in high school. Again, asking them a large sum of questions regarding deviant behaviors. The same data will then be entered in NCES and NELS to retouch the previous information.The issue being utilized in this study is the individual’s environment on his behavior based on a long period of time. The questions asked by examiners will per tain to their relationship with their parents, their thoughts on fighting and violence, cultural goals for monetary gain, and so on. Measures As mentioned before, the friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory; the stress for monetary gain will examine the strain theory; and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Conventional definition (Howard, 2003).A conventional definition will be constructed from a set of ten questions that will ask participants whether it is acceptable to engage in deviant behaviors such as having a gun, being affiliated with a gang, fighting, vandalism, selling drugs, using drugs, and stealing. A sample question includes: â€Å"Do you believe it is acceptable to join a gang? †. Response set ranges from one (often acceptable) to four (never acceptable). The Strain Theory. Questions that examine the strain theory will be based on cultural goals for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures: â⠂¬Å"How important is money to you? ; â€Å"Do you have a high or low chance of graduating from high school? †; â€Å"What are the chances of you joining a gang if you knew you would get lots of money? †. The responses will be based on coding: 1 if money is very important, 0 not being important; 1 if high chance of graduating, 0 if low, and so on. The Learning Theory. The learning theory will be assessed by asking four questions about their friendships. Sample questions include â€Å"Do you feel pressured to be involved in everything your friends are in? † and â€Å"Have you ver been influenced by a friend to engage in deviant behaviors? †. Response set ranges from one (always) to four (never). The Social Control Theory. This theory will be examined by parental supervision. The respondent’s parents will be asked a total of ten questions, with answer choices ranging from one (disagree completely) to four (agree completely). Sample questions include à ¢â‚¬Å"Do you believe it is important to know your child’s friends? † and â€Å"Do you believe it is important to know how your child spends his money? †.Upon completion of each interview the respondents’ will be debriefed and given their raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Discussion It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their â€Å"way of living†. If the hypothesis is supported, then each group of participants would adapt to their way of living as a reaction to their environment.Significant findings resulting from the proposed study can be used in better understanding the role of the environment on the development of human behavior. If social control theory, learning theory, and strain theory are found to magnify the chance of developin g criminal and deviant behaviors, this understanding could be applied to many different research studies and therapeutic training. Some research has already demonstrated that identifying an individual’s environmental background is quite important in understanding his criminal acts.In the psychological domain, recognizing the existing influences of each theory might be helpful in raising parental awareness of the importance of bonding mechanisms (supervision and interpersonal attachment) as well as children’s awareness of handling certain opportunity structures (cultural goals) and teaching the importance of maintaining strong values, raising society’s awareness of the importance of community organization, and implementing counseling programs.If people are made aware of the negative as well as positive effects of their environment on the development of their behavior, they might be more persuaded to maintain or develop strong values, develop cultural goals, and h ave a more positive realistic picture of their future, especially if they are living in a strained community. If the hypothesis is not supported, then there will be no difference between the influence of strained/disorganized communities and organized communities on the development of criminal and delinquent behaviors.Matching the social control, learning, and strain theories to each group of participants’ environment would have no effect in determining the possible implicit development of criminal behaviors. In this case, the type of environment (organized or disorganized community) would not justify the consequences on the general individual-level processes that affects the person’s adaption’s to the community exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors.Therefore, there would be no reason to raise the awareness of parents, children, and society of the importance of strong values and cultural goals when it comes to preventing the negative influences of th e community on behavior. Whether or not the message raises awareness, people would just continue â€Å"going with the flow†. Unexpected factors that can occur during this longitudinal research study, which may skew the outcome, may include the unexpected death of several participants (i. . illness, accident, gang violence), or if a participant moves to a different country. A potential limitation of this study is that it does not involve clinical assessments, which can include family history and background to determine the presence of abnormal disorders (mood disorders, personality disorders). Being aware of the presence of abnormal disorders is an important factor in determining the prevalence and etiology of criminal behavior.As a result, assessing the environment would not be sufficient to determine the risk of becoming a criminal. Also, longitudinal studies of a large sample of the population require a large number of researchers and access to certain legal databases (depe nding on the study), which takes time and a considerable amount of money. Future research could investigate other factors that might have an influence on the development of criminal behavior (i. e. race, gender, psychological and biological vulnerabilities, and individual choices).It is possible that sufficient justification to support the influences of these theories (control, learning, and strain) could also be accompanied by or perceived as different depending on these factors, such that psychological vulnerabilities (cognitive development), which can be caused by abuse, in any type of environment could influence the development of such behaviors as well. Some researchers believe that crime does not reside in the environment and others say that the idea of their environment alone is not enough.Future research should be done to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on psychological, biological, and sociological vu lnerabilities. Further investigation of the underlying causes of the development of criminal behavior is important not only to raise awareness, but to benefit our justice system as well as to contribute to the developing realm of research in psychology and criminology. References Hoffmann, John P. (2003). A contextual analysis of differential association, social control, and train theories of delinquency. Social Forces, 81, 753-785. Baskin, Deborah R. ; Sommers, Ira (2011). Child maltreatment, placement strategies, and delinquency. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 106-119. Opotow, Susan; Gieseking, Jen (2011). Foreground and background: Environment as site and social issue. Journal of Social Issues, 67, 179-196. Stuart, Bryan (2004). Inside the criminal mind. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 32, 547-549. No authorship indicated (1928). The problem of the mind. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 23, 1-3.

Definition and Examples of Initial Letters