Definition of Culture and Its Importance Essay Example for Free

Definition of Culture and Its Importance Essay Human beings are considered the highest form of animals, behaving passionately social as a group, using language and understanding, and doing teamwork and intergroup rivalry. Culture then relates to everything that humans have, think and do as a member of the social group. Both existent and make-believe, humans have stuff like tools, weapons, languages, laws, music, art, material resources, technologies and systems that when taken jointly will give details of the past and describes the present. On the other hand, when ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs and ideologies are taken as a group, help explains religious partiality, political directives, mores and extensive range of social associations. In addition, humans do or perform activities among specific group or society based on nationality, religion, ethnic boundaries and even occupation and academic, which later on collectively form the prescribed accepted behavior. (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. 2002). In 1997, culture was described by Geert Hofstede in his book, Cultures and Organizations as the â€Å"software of the mind†. While individuals all have the identical â€Å"hardware†, which is the human brain, their â€Å"software† or â€Å"programming† is rather diverse. It is an identical experience when interrelating with somebody from a dissimilar culture – their language, suppositions, body language and movement, morals, and other facets of their culture will not be logical when relocated to another’s orientation structure. There are three fundamental logical reasoning when it comes to culture, namely: 1. Superiority of experience in the fine arts and humanities; 2. A combined blueprint of human knowledge, trust, and manners that relies upon the aptitude for figurative thinking and social knowledge; and 3. The set of divided outlooks, principles, purposes, and practices that distinguishes an association, society or group. According to Holt and Wigginton (2002), culture is a concept in the field of anthropology that concerns with shared structure of attitudes, way of life, ownership, traits, tradition and morals that describes group actions, which can be observed in a family, ethnic group, a business organization or a society. Authority, leadership, work attitudes and ethical practices on the part of management are influenced by this shared structure. Workers also are influenced by cultural antecedents on how they recognize and understand quality performance, work responsibilities, their function in decision-making and attitude in following orders from superior, as well as insight of human rights. The daily demeanor of workers in terms of punctuality, following rules on safety standards and personal hygiene are also affected. Slight differences between any two or more cultural groups can be observed, which therefore requires sensitivity to understand cultural differences, especially in manners of proper handling of business transactions. This way, when difficulties are encounter they will be solved readily with positive results. Understanding Differences in Culture The basic requirements for human survival are standard, which means for people to live they need water, food, clothing, housing and security. However, scarcity of these necessities compels human to creatively expand manners of acquiring them in order to give solutions to these survival problems. For simple societies, economic and social behavior consists of uncomplicated activities like looking for and cooking food, crafting clothes, building houses and rearing children. On the other hand, for developed societies, roles go beyond work and domestic related actions and extend to production and distribution of goods and services in order to sustain their big areas of responsibilities. It is essential to know that differences in culture would mean that different cultures have a diversity of styles in looking at things, ways of dressing and expressing individuality and/or goodness. Education, social rank, religion, individuality, belief composition, precedent experience, warmth shown in the domicile, and a countless of other factors will influence an individual’s manners and mores. A good deal of dissimilarities in culture has something to do with foodstuff preparation, music, and what each culture considers good manners. There are really cultural and philosophy disparities and it is fine to have an appreciation about a civilizations way of life. Hofstede’s Model of Cultural Dimensions A Dutch researcher by the name of Geert Hofstede made a cross-cultural study of organizational behavior using managers from different countries to produce profile of cultural differences. This model is the most famous Hofstede’s Model composed of five dimensions namely power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long term orientation, which gives a comparative evaluation of group attributes. Said dimensions when used jointly, provide management sensible outlook regarding contradicting values and prototypes of manners among countries and groups. Power distance as a dimension relates to the degree of human inequalities. Hierarchical position and authority are the main focuses of a culture with high power distance. Less dominant member of the society acknowledge just being subordinates, who should always follow those who are leading. In societies with high power distance as exemplified by Japan, formal authority comes from the hierarchy where employees hardly ever go against a chain of command or subject into scrutiny the decisions of top management. The reverse is true with societies like the United States, Australia and New Zealand with low power distance, where both higher-ups and subordinates coordinate their decisions with one another and authority is not a big deal. However, for societies like Great Britain, Israel and Canada in particular, though they refuse to accept parity in social level, still they value the right of each person’s accomplishment (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. , 2002). Individualism pertains to the degree of initiative in becoming independent against that of collective endeavor. Societies with high individualism placed importance on personal triumphs, advancement, escapades and self-sufficiency. This implies ignoring the extensive necessities of the society and making oneself and ones family the priority. Contradictory, culture with low degree of individualism supports family relationship, group synchronization, social order and devote to compromised ideas. Uncertainty avoidance (Holt, D. Wigginton, K. , 2002) is the degree of open-mindedness for uncertainty and ambiguity, particularly to man’s search for Truth. It means the feeling of contentment and discontentment in shapeless circumstances which are unusual, unknown and unexpected. For majority of the societies, their religious beliefs stand as their manner of knowing the Absolute Truth. Japanese culture for instance, typifies a society that avoids uncertainty by creating detailed laws and standards in consonance with the norms of the society. There are also societies with dual philosophical beliefs that they do not consider any Absolute Truth and so they accept uncertainty within their organizations. Canadians, as an example do not prioritize ceremonies and company rites unlike the Japanese. The degree of motivational behavior based on value systems that are depicted in terms of being masculine or feminine is another dimension in the Hofstede’s Model termed masculinity. The focus of the said model is not on biological perspectives; however, the behavior is portrayed using gender. In countries with high masculinity, like Japan, men work and hold top positions in organization, while women stay at home to perform household chores and nurture children. In other words, there are distinct roles that women and men do in society. The priorities of people living in societies with high masculinity are achievement, wealth and expansion. Working professionals spent much of their time in work related activities and seldom take vacations to relieve their stress. When confronted with problems, the manners of settling these conflicts are done aggressively. On the opposite, countries that score low in masculinity give significance to their family, relationships and quality of life. There is equality in terms of positions for both men and women which could be observed in all aspects of their lives. Negotiation for people in societies with low masculinity is the best way to resolve misunderstandings and disagreements. They are also fond of working in flexible hours to give way for more vacations and relaxation. The fifth and newest cultural dimension is the long term orientation, founded on the teaching of Confucius on the East. Countries with high long term orientation can be described as being persistent, thrifty, having a sense of shame and organizing and observing relationship by status. On the other hand, those cultures with short term orientation have personal control and firmness, shield ones â€Å"face†, value ritual and give back to greetings, favors, and gifts.

Micro Expressions: Detecting Lies in the Face and Eyes Essay -- Facia

Lying has been a problem since societies were first formed. Some people are great liars, others are not. But, whether someone is a good liar or not, one-tenth of a second is all it takes for subtle changes known as micro expressions to appear and disappear from a person’s face. These micro expressions are a sign of emotion. The people who read these micro expressions are human lie detectors. Although. police have machines such as the polygraph test, which measures body temperature and voice tone to help them detect when people are lying, micro expressions are far more reliable. Micro expressions are more useful to police than polygraph tests because, polygraph tests only detect spikes in emotion, there is little scientific evidence about accuracy, and micro expressions are proven to help people further scientific research. In the first place, the polygraph test can only detect spikes in emotion unlike micro expressions. Micro expressions are more useful to police because polygraph tests are unreliable; polygraph tests cannot tell which emotion is being felt by the person, they cannot tell why an emotion is being felt, and micro expressions cannot be controlled by people like polygraph tests can. To begin, polygraph tests cannot tell which emotion a person is feeling. Paul Ekman is one of the few scientists who researches micro expressions. He wrote a book called The Polygraph as a Lie Catcher, in this book he addresses the worldwide debate of whether the polygraph is an accurate lie detector. Ekman says, â€Å"Remember that the polygraph test is not a lie detector. It only detects emotional arousal† (251). The polygraph test cannot accurately detect the specific emotion a person is feeling; someone may be feeling nervous and the po... ...ons. Guliford, 2010. 211. books.google.com. Web. 30 jan. 2014. â€Å"Microexpressions: More Than Meets the Eye.† Talk of the Nation/Science Friday (NRP) (2013): Newspaper source. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. â€Å"Micromovements Hold Hidden Information About Severity of Autism, Researches Report.† newsmedicine.iu.edu. Indiana University, ISUM Newsroom, 2 December 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. â€Å"Polygraph Validity Research.† polygraph.org. American Polygraph Association, 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. Porter, Stephen, and Leanne Ten Brinkle. â€Å"Reading Between the Lies.† People.ok.ubca.ca. N.P. 31 Oct. 2007. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. PDF. Leach, Amy-May, et al. â€Å"The Reliability of Lie Detection Performance.† Law and Human Behavior 33.1 (Feb. 2009): JSTOR. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. Lock, Carrie. â€Å"Deception Detection.† Science News 66.5 (Jul. 31, 2004) : JSTOR. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Nursing School Essay

Nursing is one of the most respected and rewarding occupations in the healthcare industry. An exemplary nurse exhibits qualities such as empathy, selflessness, and the ability to work well under pressure as a team and also independently. Although the nurses job description focuses on patient care, nurses are also the patient’s number one advocate; the doctor may diagnose and order treatments for the patient, but the nurse is the one whom the patient sees and establishes a connection most. Nurses are skilled, intelligent, and fearless. They are a part of an occupation that I aspire to join. Prior to my parents’ retirement as physicians, I spent a lot of time in hospitals when I was a child. As a result to their profession, I was significantly more exposed to healthcare than the average individual; my toys were sphygmomanometers and stethoscopes, my bed time stories were medical journals, my play area a hospital waiting room. Coming from a healthcare family, I always knew I was going to work in healthcare but never knew to what extent; do I become a doctor or a PA? Perhaps a pharmacist or possibly a nurse? When I began working as an EMT in 2011, it solidified the idea that I wanted to be a nurse. One day at my EMT job, we responded to a woman with substernal chest pain radiating to the left arm with breathing difficulty. The woman appeared pale, cool, and diaphoretic indicating textbook symptoms of a possible myocardial infarction. Naturally, we called a Code heart and went straight up to the cardiac catheter lab. The next thing I knew, I was looking at a literal heart of a literal person on a monitor with all the blockages that caused the infarction. After the stents were placed it looked like a completely different healthy heart with no blockages to be seen. Obviously I have seen such x-rays of vessel blockages and I’ve learned about angioplasties, but it was completely different experiencing it right before my very eyes. I was in awe of the doctor and nurses’ keen attention to detail and swift actions that saved a woman’s life. The cardiac doctor performing the angioplasty along with the nurses and techs acted like it was just an ordinary day, but it i s considered a monumental moment in my life. It was the very first time I was made fully aware of the potential that medicine truly has. After watching the coronary angioplasty I realized that I, too, wanted to be a lifesaver. Thus began the journey of fulfilling my ultimate goal of becoming an ER nurse and part of a trauma team. As an individual, I enjoy helping and interacting with others. My EMT and ER tech experience has given me confidence to work well under pressure as well as understand the balance of empathy and patient care. One of my greatest strengths is my determination to better myself as a person and as a healthcare provider. I believe that motivation is crucial in achieving your goal and I refuse to stop until I achieve that goal. Along with my motivation to be great and do great, I also believe that we should always learn something new every single day. Be it positive, negative, informational, recreational it doesn’t matter—as long as we learn something new about our environment and the people that we provide care for. One way I try to further my knowledge is that I always ask questions and continue to always be curious in regards to learning how things work and indications of illnesses that may follow. Alternatively, I feel that one of my greatest weaknesses is my lack of knowledge from a medical nature of illness standpoint. Working as an EMT in an urban city has given me the ability to understand and execute treatments and follow protocols in basic life support for a mechanism of traumatic injury. However, although I learned about the nature of medical illnesses and its indications, I have never had to treat or understand the illnesses in its entirety for pre-hospital emergent settings. As EMTs, we are taught to â€Å"treat what we see† but we are not trained to understand the underlying reasons and problems that medical illnesses may have. Another aspect I consider as a weakness is that my ability exceeds my level of education at this point in my career. I can only ask and learn so much information on my own that there are still so many areas of medicine that are unknown to me. One way I plan on  working on my weakness is pursuing a nursing education to help me enhance my understanding and increase my level of patient care. I believe that being a registered nurse is more than just an occupation. Nurses are guardians of life. The field of nursing is not for everyone. Furthermore, I believe that you have to have a certain skill or characteristic trait that nursing school cannot teach. Nursing school can teach you pharmacology and protocols, but it cannot teach you the value of a human life. As a nursing school applicant, I believe that the Carepoint School of Nursing will teach me the knowledge and guidance that I desire to become an exemplary registered nurse. I am confident that my experience in  patient care and field of work, along with this nursing program will push me to the fullest capabilities necessary to become an extraordinary nurse and unlock my full potential as an individual and as a healthcare provider.

When Is the Spring Equinox

Depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox (better known as the first day of spring) begins every year on March 19 or 20. But what exactly is an equinox, and who decided that was when spring should begin? The answer to those questions is a little more complicated than you may think. The Earth and the Sun To understand what an equinox is, you must first know a little bit about our solar system. The earth rotates on its axis, which is tilted at 23.5 degrees. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation. As the earth spins on its axis, it also orbits around the sun, which takes 365 days to complete. During the year, the planet slowly tilts on its axis as it orbits the sun. For half the year, the Northern Hemisphere—the portion of the planet that lies above the Equator—receives more sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. For the other half, the Southern Hemisphere receives more sunlight. But on two days each calendar year, both hemispheres receive an equal amount of sunlight. These two days are called equinoxes, a Latin word that means equal nights. In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal (Latin for spring) equinox occurs on March 19 or 20, depending on which time zone you live in. The autumnal equinox, which signals the start of fall, begins on September 21 or 22, again depending on which time zone youre in. In the Southern Hemisphere, these seasonal equinoxes are inverted. On these days, day and night both last 12 hours, although the daylight can actually last up to eight minutes longer than night due to atmospheric refraction. This phenomenon causes sunlight to bend around the curve of the earth, depending on conditions such as atmospheric pressure and humidity, allowing light to linger after sunset and appear before sunrise. The Start of Spring Theres no international law that says spring must begin on the vernal equinox. Humans have been observing and celebrating seasonal changes based on how long or short the day is since time began. That tradition became codified in the Western world with the advent of the Gregorian calendar, which linked the change of seasons to the equinoxes and solstices. If you live in North America,  the vernal equinox  in 2018 begins at 6:15 a.m. in Honolulu, Hawaii; at 10:15 a.m. in Mexico City; and at 1:45 p.m. at St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. But because the earth doesnt complete its orbit in a perfect 365 days, the start of the vernal equinox  changes annually. In 2018, for example, the equinox begins in New York City at 12:15 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. In 2019, it doesnt begin until 5:58 p.m. on March 20. But in 2020, the equinox starts the night before, at 11:49  p.m.   At the other extreme,  the sun  at the  North Pole  lies on the horizon of the earths surface on the March Equinox. The sun rises at noon to the horizon on the March Equinox and the North Pole remains lit until the autumnal equinox. At the South Pole, the sun sets at noon after endless daylight for the previous six months (since the autumnal equinox). The Winter and Summer Solstice Unlike the two equinoxes  when days and nights are equal, the two annual solstices mark the days when the hemispheres receive the most and least sunlight. They also signal the beginning of summer and winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21, depending on the year and where you live. This is the longest day of the year north of the equator. The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, occurs on December 21 or 22. Its the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. Winter begins in June, summer in December. If you live in New York City, for example, the 2018 summer solstice occurs at 6:07 a.m. on June 21 and the winter solstice at 5:22 p.m. on Dec. 21. In 2019, the summer solstice starts at 11:54 a.m., but in 2020, it occurs at 5:43 p.m. on June 20.  In 2018, New Yorkers will mark the winter solstice at 5:22 p.m. on Dec. 21, 11;19 p.m. on the 21st in 2019, and 5:02 a.m. on the 21st in 2020. Equinoxes and Eggs It is a widely held assumption that one can only balance an egg on its end on the equinoxes but this is simply an urban legend  that began in the U.S. after a 1945 Life magazine article on a Chinese egg-balancing stunt. If youre patient and careful, you can balance an egg on its bottom anytime.   Sources Byrd, Deborah. March Equinox! Happy Spring or Fall. EarthSky.org. 20 March 2017.Epstein, Dave. Why is Monday Considered Spring? The Vernal Equinox, Explained. BostonGlobe.com 20 March 2017.History.com staff. Vernal (Spring) Equinox. History.com.Royal Museums Greenwich staff. Equinoxes and Solstices. RMG.org.