To Think or Not To Think, That is The Question Essay Example for Free

To Think or Not To Think, That is The Question Essay â€Å"Judgment matters: it is what separates winners from losers† (260). Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is a book about understanding how we arrive at the judgments we make. There are two ways that we make every decision: in the blink of an eye or with well thought out decision making processes. In this book Gladwell explores the many different ways that we make decisions using our adaptive unconscious. He attempts to convince the reader that snap decisions can be just as good as ones we ponder upon. In all aspects of our life we are continuously making decisions. Often times we go with our instincts. An instinct is something that is created by a collage of past experiences and the knowledge we have gained from them. The unconscious can make better decisions than the conscious at times. Have you ever had a â€Å"gut reaction† to something and then thought about it for a while and changed your mind? Frequently thinking is the wrong thing to do and the instinctive decision was the best one. Teaching us how the mind works during decision making is Gladwell’s main goal. From there it is up to us. The book begins with the story of the Getty Museum in California and the fourteen month process involved in their purchase of a Greek kuoros. The museum hired lawyers, geologists and researched the basics on what the style of a Greek kuoros would be. Eventually they were satisfied with all the information they had gathered and they purchased the statue. There was a big problem though. Numerous art experts looked at the kuoros and within seconds had a bad feeling about it. Their instincts were telling them that the statue was a fake. After much debate, the museum resigned itself to listing the kuoros in their catalog with the words â€Å"About 530BC, or modern forgery† (8). One way to hone our instincts is using something called thin-slicing. This is the process where you slow down what is happening. You take thin slices of time and use the pieces of knowledge you gain from that slice to make your decision. Gladwell draws on multiple studies and experiments to explain this. The study that is the most prevalent and mentioned throughout the book was what would become The Mathematics of Divorce by John Gottman. In this study Gottman videotaped couples engaging in a discussion about a contentious topic in their marriage. There were multiple sensors monitoring the couple’s physical changes, such as heart rate and movement. He found that by breaking down the videotaped interaction into fractions of a second and applying the information to a mathematical chart he was able to predict divorce rates among the couples. After watching just an hour of video tape per couple, Gottman is able to predict the divorce rate in the span of fifteen years with ninety-f ive percent accuracy. The next section of the book explains what defines a snap decision. When you experience something there is a feeling of knowing. You can’t explain how you know, you just know. He gives the example of tennis coach Vic Braden. Braden is able to predict when a tennis player is going to double-fault on his serve before the player had even released the ball from his hand. Braden was searching for an answer as to why he was able to do this and he couldn’t find one. It was a snap judgment, an instinct and something that cannot be explained. Instincts can also lead you astray. Gladwell’s chapter about Warren Harding explains how the former president rose up through the political ranks based solely on his appearance and the way he spoke. He was not a terribly impressive man intellectually, but voters went with their first impression of him. He won because he was the most handsome and eloquent candidate, not because he was the best. Our first impressions are not 100% reliable. We all have associations between certain things that are ingrained in our unconscious minds and we’re not even aware of them. There are stereotypes inside everyone, even when we consciously think there are not. Gladwell explains that â€Å"unconscious  attitudes are not compatible with values† (85). Our experiences create our first impressions, including those experiences that are negative. As I stated earlier, associations become ingrained in our unconscious minds even if we’re not aware of them on a conscious level. That is a case where a snap decision would be one made without having enough information. The opposite can be true as well. Sometimes we have too much information. Gladwell tells the story of heart attack diagnoses at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago. The doctors were running many tests and gathering too much information to accurately separate patients of different heart attack probabilities. The hospital reformed the way they analyzed heart attack patients by talking extensively with them along with doing some minimal testing. Using this new system proved to be more effective than when they were amassing a large amount of data. The author states that â€Å"truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking† (141). Gladwell goes on to cite a study by Jonathan Schooler and Timothy Wilson regarding people’s preference in jam. Random shoppers at the grocery story were asked to sample several types of jam and rank them in order based on which was the best. When asked to explain why they made the choices they did many of the shoppers changed the order in which they’d ranked the jams. Why? Because when you have to explain an instinctive decision it’s difficult to put into words. This can lead people to change their choice to one that can be explained. One snap decision that was difficult to explain involved the shooting of Amadou Diallo, and unarmed man, by four police officers. They spotted Diallo in a dark entry way in a bad part of town late at night. When they spoke to him, he did not comply with their orders and began pulling something from his pocket. The situation was unfolding quickly. The officers didn’t take time to thin slice what was happening, to read Diallo’s mind. They assumed he was reaching for a gun, so they shot him. In truth he’d only been reaching for his wallet. Events need to be slowed down and thin sliced in order to listen to what instinct is telling us. We need to  pay attention to what is occurring in fractions of seconds, not in minutes. Gladwell states, â€Å"Every moment – every blink – is composed of a series of discrete moving parts, and every one of those parts offers an opportunity for intervention, for reform and for correction† (241). In the end, it is up to each of us to explore our adaptive unconscious and discover the pieces that make up our snap decisions. Gladwell clearly states his opinion, â€Å"The best we can do, I think, is try to puzzle out the right mix of conscious and unconscious analysis on a case-by-case basis† (269). We need to know what goes on inside our minds so that we can make solid judgments and know when to think and when to react without thinking. This book opened my eyes to many things. I found the studies fascinating and informative. The theory of thin-slicing is definitely something I’m going to try to use in my daily life, slowing things down and really paying attention. I believe there is a lot to be learned about what guides my choices and molds my snap judgments. This book is very relevant to the world of work. Business today moves faster than ever before. Information shoots back and forth at lightning speeds thanks to the progress that’s been made in communications technology. It’s vital that business people know how to read their own minds and are aware of some of the biases that may be involved in instinctual judgments that they make. There are so many times in business when you need to make urgent decisions and don’t have the luxury of time to contemplate. Another area where this book’s insight would be valuable is human resources/hiring. The sections on hidden prejudices serve as an invaluable reminder that we may have firm beliefs, but there are stereotypes hidden within our unconscious mind. It is good practice to be aware that how you are behaving, your body language, will affect how the potential employee will behave during an interview. Even if what is being said is benign, our faces show everything. Gladwell words it perfectly: â€Å"The face is not a secondary billboard for our internal feelings. It is an equal partner in the emotional process† (208). The quote at the beginning of this paper shows the attitude we must take when dealing with business in the twenty-first century. You have to possess the ability to make solid judgments in minimal time. Business decisions made now have an extremely large impact on society as a whole, directing the world down whatever path it goes. If the decision makers are able to look inside and see what makes them tick they will make better choices. Business today has a social responsibility, just as every person has a social responsibility. Gladwell leaves us by clearly defining the weight that is on our shoulders, â€Å"It is not enough simply to explore the hidden recesses of our unconscious. Once we know about how the mind works – and about the strengths and weaknesses of human judgment – it is our responsibility to act† (276). So one last time I quote this author, â€Å"Judgment matters: it is what separates winners from losers† (260). Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. 2005. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, B

The Chi Omega Greek Theater and The Theater of Dionysus :: Architecture Compare contrast Essays

The Chi Omega Greek Theater and The Theater of Dionysus The Chi Omega Greek Theater was constructed as a gift to the University commemorating Chi Omega's founding in 1895. It is the only United States structure of its kind and it was designed to be almost a replica of the theater of Dionysus at the Acropolis. The theater is used on the campus today for plays, pep rallies, and meetings. It is accessible to students, faculty, members of the community and acts as a constant reminder of the Greek System's support of the school. The Greek Theater is not well known throughout the country, however it is a site of pride in Fayetteville. It stands for both the unity within the sorority and the monument to the goddess Demeter who supported civilized life. The first use of the theater was in 1930, when a play was performed telling the story of Demeter and Persephone. The theater of Dionysus stands at the foot of the acropolis and its date originates back to the 6th Century, B.C.. Its originally wood seats rise in tiers above one another against the slope of the acropolis, creating a natural setting for the plays (D'ooge, 231). The Greek Theater was built to house a drama which, during the festivals of Dionysus, had evolved from the long tradition of choral hymns which were presented each year. As Greek culture changed and flourished, entertainment transformed from being a series of choral chanting and dancing to placing an emphasis on the actor. As the actors' importance grew, there became a need for a stage from which they could be seen by each of the fourteen thousand spectators the theater housed. The chorus was still a very active part of the entertainment and they resided in the orchestra (Norwich, 64). The orchestra was the oldest part of the Greek theater and thus, when the actor was given more emphasis, the chorus was still regarded very highly.

National Occupational Standards: Health and Social Care Essay

1.2 – Explain why reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop own knowledge and skills Reflecting on work activities in an important way to develop knowledge, skills and practice it enables us to reach our goals, achieve a better understanding of ourselves, self-awareness, strengths and weaknesses. To be able to reflect on how individuals are doing and to transfer knowledge to our practice. The things that I know or what I don’t know, how to achieve some goals, achievements and where I need to improve. 1.3 – Describe ways to ensure that personal attitudes and beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work To be able to ensure that personal attitudes and beliefs do not obstruct the quality of work you must not let your own personal feelings get in the way of doing your job correctly, treat everybody as an equal and work to support the residents needs, have a positive attitude towards all of the residents we take care of, ensure we follow all policies and procedures of our work setting without making any expectation. Also to respect the rights of each  of the residents and do not allow prejudice in the work setting and give everybody the same opportunities, regardless of our opinion. Outcome 2 – Understand how learning activities can develop knowledge, skills and understanding see more:understand how to handle information in social care 2.1 – Describe how a learning activity has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding Learning activities can improve an individual’s knowledge, skill and understanding by providing us with new ideas, such as something we may have never encountered before. Learning activities also give the individual new areas of learning, such as subjects and topics that you may have not previously covered. And courses on things that make the job easier, or even legally required courses that produce great new areas of learning that allow us to perform our job role, such as manual handling or medication training. It also enables us to apply theories or ideas into practice and discover if they are successful in doing what we intend them to, which in turn is great in developing our self confidence. Confidence is often the key in making strides with a difficult individual or even with self improvement, and with being confident it allows us to learn at an easier pace, which also devel ops our skills into more tangible tools that we understand. 2.2 – Describe how reflecting on a situation has improved own knowledge, skills and understanding Reflecting on a situation can improve an individual greatly by providing personal insight on a subject, which leads to a better understanding of a topic, we can reflect on how well we performed and in what ways our performance could be improved. By reflecting we can examine how effective our practice is by thinking about people’s reactions to us. About how there may have been other outcomes, and how to reach those outcomes, eliminating the bad paths and highlighting the more positive conclusions, in hope of reaching them the next time we face the same situation. 2.3 Describe how feedback from others has developed own knowledge, skills and understanding Having feedback from others and being willing to listen to that feedback, as well as use it to your advantage is a huge part of self improvement, and plays a massive role in developing our knowledge, skills and understanding of certain things. Such as the way you speak to someone, as you’re talking and joking you might believe that the subjects you breach are perfectly acceptable, but the service user you are communicating with may not want to show they don’t want to talk about it either out of politeness or some other motive, but another member of staff  may be able to recognize this, and discuss it with you while they give out feedback which lets you identify the area for improvement. Feedback can increase problem solving capabilities by allowing you to take in a situation from another’s perspective, and approaching a previous problem in a way that you have discovered by listening to others, they will tell you their perspectives and how they might deal with a situation in a more appropriate way. Perhaps in the form of advice or even just a little more information on how a certain service user likes to be treated. Changing the way to act around someone can have a massive impact on them, and sometimes feedback is the only way to identify this. Outcome 3 – Know how a personal development plan can contribute to own learning and development 3.1 – Define the term personal development plan Personal Development Plan’ is a term which describes an agreed way of recording information such as agreed objectives in regards to an individual, proposals on how to meet those objectives and the activities to follow. Including timescales for reviews amongst other things, and dates to assess the progress of any of the above, though the term ‘personal development plan’ may not be used exactly 3.2 – Identify who could be involved in the personal development plan process There are many people who may be involved with certain service users personal development plan, these include but are not limited to people such as The individual Carers Advocates Supervisor Line manager Employer Other professionals. (nurses or doctors e.g.) 3.3 – Identify sources of support for own learning and development Support for own learning and development exists in many places both in the workplace and outside of the workplace. Such as Formal support (Government funded schemes and organizations) A supervision An appraisal Within the organization Outside of the organization. (people with experience and knowledge that you can speak to that exist outside of your workplace, such as family and friends.) 3.4 – List the benefits of using a personal development plan to identify ongoing improvements in own knowledge and understanding The benefits to having personal development plans in place include: Focusing on what an individual wants to achieve and how to achieve it To develop greater self awareness of training needs Increasing the understanding of how to meet those needs It provides evidence to show how and what approach was taken in the attempt to improve your own knowledge and understanding

The Administration Of The U.s. Tax System - 1991 Words

In 1990, the IRS commissioned a comprehensive nationwide survey of taxpayers to obtain their overall perception of its administration of the U.S. tax system. NPM related questions from this survey were re-asked to taxpayers to determine any potential changes in response patterns (VanDenburgh 2004, 2). Several questions were re-asked to allow for an assessment of differences between the 1990 responses and the 2004 responses during research by William M. VanDenburgh (2004). The concept of logic of action, which derives from institutional theory, is valuable to understanding why the IRS case is not aberrant and why there exists an implicit tension between merit ideals and the performance paradigm (Thompson 2006, 498). Patterns of behavior derive from institutional rules that create incentives to act in one way or another. They also derive from norms that have arisen over time that govern what behaviors are considered â€Å"appropriate.† Important for the purpose of this argument is the existence of an underlying logic according to which behavioral patterns, incentives, and norms are interlocked (Thompson 2006, 498). Adoption of a new NPM requires an agency organizational structure to become more competitive and business-like. In other words, a private market focus is to be incorporated in the organization. The IRS was heavily criticized because auditors forcefully went after non-filers when some IRS employees themselves were not filing tax returns (VanDenburgh 2004, 91). Due toShow MoreRelatedBarack Obama s International Tax Reform Proposal1052 Words   |  5 PagesABSTRACT President Barack Obama’s international tax reform proposal aims at preventing American multinational companies from using current international tax loopholes to avoid being taxed on offshore profits. 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