Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura: Analysis

Social Learning Theory of Albert Bandura: Analysis Child development and welfare Gemma Smith An experiment was conducted to explore the social learning theory of Albert Bandura. The experiment involved small children that were exposed to different forms of aggression and violence to study if the behaviour modelled by an adult would then be reflected upon the child. The experiment provided a range of results that supported the hypothesis and some results that were unexpected. The experiment was effective for the purpose and the settings with the controls provided an ideal environment. Albert bandura was a behaviourist who performed an experiment on children who had been exposed to different behavioural conditions. Bandura’s theory states Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling:from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action (Social learning theory, 2013). Bandura believed that the behaviour of children could be shaped by either classical conditioning or through operant conditioning (The distance learning centre, 2013, pg. 8). Operant conditioning was brought about by Burrhus Frederic Skinner, more commonly known as B.F. Skinner, along with his theory that he believed the best way to understand behaviour is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences (Simply psychology, 2014). To study this theory Skinner performed experiments on animals (You tube, March 2007). He placed pigeons in individual boxes; kept the birds at three quarter of their normal weight to ensure they would be hungry then used food as a reward for their behaviour (You tube, March 2007). He used his controlled conditions to isolate the first type of behaviour where the pigeon would peck at a red disc to then be rewarded with food (YouTube, March 2007). The pigeon’s behaviour has now been shaped through operant conditioning to receive food through reinforcement after the desired response has been performed (Boundless, nd). This type of conditioning be it positive or by the removal of punishment can be applied to the behaviour of children (Boundless, nd). A child that receives a reward for picking up the toys in their room for example will do this to receive the prize (Boundless, nd). Or a child’s behaviour could be altered by negative reinforcement such as a child’s favourite teddy or doll being confiscated if they did not perform a particular task. Therefore this demonstrates the power that reinforcement has upon the conditioning and the after affect being the repetition of the actions once the child has been rewarded (Boundless, nd). Reinforcement could easily have the opposite affect if the correct wording is not used and if there is not a clear explanation to follow (education.com, 2014). Then the effectiveness of the behavioural moulding is not as good as it could be. However if the parents are to use responsive language it demonstrates verbal guidance that is respectful to children by clarifying the rules and responsibilities, therefore giving the parents power (education.com, 2014). Although this may prove to be effective it raises some ethical issues. A parent could be considered as using positive reinforcement to manipulate the child (az central, 2014). This manipulation could be used to benefit the parent whilst placing the child in the middle (Parent alienation support, 2010). If a child were to provide reports to their main carer about the other parent to receive a reward this would be classed as manipulation and raise the point of it being unethical (Parent alienation support, 2010). When negative reinforcement is instilled the desired outcome is the same but the procedure is different (behavioural consulting, 2013). Instead of encouragement to promote more good behaviour something negative would be removed to motivate the child to respond (behavioural consulting, 2013). This can also prove to be effective if it is not used to an excessive amount or the psychological affect can damage the child’s self-esteem (global post, 2014). The damage can cause the child to become withdrawn or unwilling to try therefore giving their parents the ability to make them feel poorly about themselves (global post, 2014). Punishment is another form of reinforcement that can be used positively or negatively (behavioural consulting, 2013). Both can be used effectively if they are performed consistently (about.com, 2014). Skinner believed that this type of punishment would only be temporary and perhaps this is occurs because there is not an explanation to accompany the punishment (about.com, 2014). Punishment could also raise concerns later in life for a child whom is smacked for example; they may become aggressive or their behaviour could worsen into antisocial behaviour (about.com, 2014). Conditioning has been used before Bandura by John B. Watson and Rosalie Raynor (1920) in an experiment called little Albert (about.com, 2014). They experimented to see how phobias are the consequence of learnt behaviour (Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins, pg. 133). Banduras theory follows with the social learning theory (1973) being that violent behaviour is learnt by observing and copying another performing this (Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins, pg. 134). When Bandura performed the bobo doll experiment he set out to find if modelling influenced the behaviour of young children (youtube, May 2011). Watson and Raynor had the starting point and basis for Banduras theory to become more effective because people are social beings that may observe to learn (youtube, 2011). During the time of Banduras experiment the widespread view was that watching violence reduces aggression however Bandura wanted to prove that a child who watched an adult be violent towards the Bobo doll would then copy the behaviour not reduce it and that is what happened (youtube, May 2011). Modelling on a child could not only achieve what Bandura did but it could cause damage to the child (about.com, 2014). As observational learning has a great effect on what children learn as acceptable behaviour and for a child this shapes their personality (about.com, 2014). On the other hand John Bowlby (1907-1990) studied the attachment behaviour and believed that behaviours are instinctive (simply psychology, 2007). He said the behaviour becomes activated by any conditions that seem to threaten proximity (simply psychology, 2007). A study to investigate whether children learn from observing a model exhibiting aggressive behaviour to a Bobo doll. If violent and aggressive behaviour is modelled to a child then the significant outcome from the child will be aggressive. Whilst the child observes the adult being aggressive or violent to the doll they may not repeat the action and act the opposite with the doll. There is no significant difference between condition 1 (child praised) and condition 2 (child punished) when acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll. An experiment will be carried out using controlled conditions and variables to prove that aggressive behaviour can be modelled to a child, which they will then copy. The study will be an experimental and independent subject design. The independent variable would be the amount of children exposed to the aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour (simply psychology, 2011). The dependent variable is the measure of aggressive behaviour. The participants included seventy two children and two adult’s one of each gender. The children were separated evenly into three groups. In one half of the first two groups there were six boys and six girls with a female and in the second half there were six boys and six girls (simply psychology, 2011). The third group did not contain a model. The children ranged in age from three to six years old (simply psychology, 2011). The experiment contains many children of a range of ages so as to provide a varied amount of results. The apparatus needed for the experiment will be the videos of the children and model, a tick sheet to mark down the aggressive and non-aggressive acts. A stopwatch to be certain each observational study takes the same amount of time. Inferential statistics Using novel objects to hit the bobo doll 28/12= 2.3 35.5/12=2.95 F 2.95 Playing without showing aggressive actions 35/12=2.9 6.8/12=0.56 0.56 2.95/0.56= 5.26 The degrees of freedom for numerator are 15 and the degrees of freedom for dominator are 6. This makes my test two tailed therefore giving it a two directional outcome when looking at the results. This result does reflect the hypothesis and the alternate hypothesis but not the null hypothesis. The hypothesis and alternate hypothesis provides two directions to which the result can travel. The null hypothesis however is very specific to generalising that both of the conditions will not provide different results. Using the variance test provides information on two groups and as my results involved this test seemed appropriate to use. The experiment has clearly proven that children do learn from observation and can show just how much behaviour can be modelled to a child. A child’s way of thinking has been uncovered in this experiment when the results are explored. This is reflected when looking at the age range of the children and their results. In the Praised section of the table the ratings are all between three and four but as soon as the children are being punished for their behaviour the numbers dramatically drop and begin to range from zero to two. Although the results for non-aggressive behaviour under praise were surprisingly low whilst the punishment was high from three up to six on the scale. The controls that were put into place were effective and not in a way to be misleading to the child. For instance there was a kitchen set, a ball or two, a gun and a mallet. Even though the children used these for their own weapons these ideas were not modelled by the adult. The experiment could be described as ethical and unethical. Ethical because modelling behaviour is a way to teach children the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. On the other hand it is not ethical do use a blow up doll to demonstrate a child causing pain to it just because they have been shown to do so. How does it prove that the same child would repeat the actions months later on the Bobo doll and if that child does this because they remember it or their behaviour has changed. If the experiment were to be carried out again the Bobo doll would not be used another way of demonstrating behavioural changes should be used to vary the results. The results cannot be generalised to the whole public in every aspect but perhaps the ideas could be. The experiment is not generalised enough from the beginning the children were tested to see how aggressive they were to start with and with everyone being different the results would be inaccurate. The theory of social learning has some value in terms of associ ating many children to this type of learning from a very young age. The research could be expanded to deeper exploration in to the brain and what triggers are common in already aggressive people to what the triggers are for those whom are not aggressive my nature against the impartial people. The results for this can link the behaviourism to many types of crime, antisocial behaviour and even domestic violence. In conclusion the experiment to find out if modelling aggressive and violent behaviour would influence a child to observe and copy seems to have been proven a success. Albert Bandura’s theory can be applied to so many different aspects to behaviour and he chose one of the most interesting areas. The results have shown what power adults can have over their children and that reinforcement is not something to be taken lightly but supports the social learning theory. Conducting an experiment with small children was a good place to start because of their innocence and little or lack of knowledge of morals. Word count: 2063 References http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html Social learning theory 2013 http://www.distancelearningcentre.com/access/assessments/cdw/dip_cdw_child_rearing_assess.pdf bandura 2013 http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html skinner 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA Skinner March 2007 https://www.boundless.com/business/motivation-theories-and-applications/modern-views-on-motivation/reinforcement-theory/ Reinforcement theory nd http://www.education.com/reference/article/positive-guidance-techniques/ positive reinforcement 2014 http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/ethical-consideration-negative-positive-reinforcement-27520.html ethics and reinforcement 2014 http://parentalalienationsupport.com/2010/09/09/methods-of-emotional-manipulation-understanding-parental-alienation-using-behaviorism/ ethics and reinforcement 2010 http://bcotb.com/the-difference-between-positivenegative-reinforcement-and-positivenegative-punishment/ negative reinforceme nt 2013 http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effects-negative-reinforcements-selfesteem-14366.html negative reinforcement self-esteem 2014 http://psychology.about.com/od/operantconditioning/f/punishment.htm punishment 2014 http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm Watson and Raynor 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0lRjp8 albert bandura may, 2011 http://psychology.about.com/od/early-child-development/a/experience-and-development.htm experience and development 2014 http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html Bowlby 2007 http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html bandura Bobo doll 2011 Book Mike Cardwell, Liz Clark and Claire Meldrum, April 2004, Psychology, third edition, Hammersmith, Collins

Brand Report – Monster v Red Bull

At the heart of every great organization, Is a world class product or service and in any competitive business market, organizations rival to be every consumer's â€Å"first choice†. Effective brand management Is essential to every business – building strong brands that not only reflect value and credibility, but also outlive the product or service the business offers, Is a challenge for many organizations today.The FMC (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry is one of the biggest industries in the world, simply because of the rand's and products that make up this sector such as Colgate, Dove, Palmolive and the list goes on. This report will compare two FMC brands within the Australian market, namely Monster Energy and Red Bull, and the consumers levels of brand awareness towards the selected brands. It will also discuss the importance of brand association and how this is measured.Through the use of these brands, Monster Energy and Red Bull, the report will illustrate the importance of an organization's ability to continuously build brand awareness with its consumers. Launched by Hansen Natural In 2002, Monster Energy penetrated the Australian market In 2009 ND has since bumped up the consumption of energy drinks In Australia to 225 million liters, resulting In gross sale of $2. 37 billion, according to Monster Corps's 2012 annual report. This figure also includes Australia's number one selling energy drink company, Red Bull, with a market share of 40%.As defined by Kettle (2009), a brand can be a name, sign, logo, symbol or a combination of these, that identifies an organization's product or service, differentiating them from other competitors. According to Keller (1993), brand equity is conceptualized from the perspective of the individual consumer. He also asserts that customer-based brand equity (CUBE) occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and whilst holding favorable, strong and unique brand associations in memory (1993). CUBE (Cus tomer-Based Brand Equity) is further defined by Keller (1993, up. ) as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. Brand knowledge Is defined In In terms of two components; brand awareness and brand Image. According to Keller (1 993), brand awareness relates to brand recall and recognition performance by consumers, whilst brand image refers to the set of associations that consumers hold in memory. Since its launch in 2002, Monster Energy has developed strong brand salience, despite its non-evocative brand name.Placing the word ‘energy' with ‘Monster assists the customer to associate the product with the correct category. Brand salience is the first step in Seller's CUBE model (2008) and where organizations must establish who they are and what the brand represents to consumers. Establishing an identity and creating brand awareness is important at this stage, as it is when customers initially create perceptions about the b rand. McDonald & Sharp (2003) assert that a brand that has some level of brand awareness Is more likely to be selected by the consumer, than a brand unknown to the consumer.A challenge FMC companies must consider, Is the consumer's lack of decision making process Involved at the time of purchase, making It difficult for new brands to penetrate an already infiltrated industry. When Monster was initially low. Despite heavy marketing promotions and sporting associations, Monster's position within Australia's energy drinks category was relatively low, in comparison to market dominator and competitor, Red Bull. In comparison to its rival, Red Bull, Monster's brand salience lacks depth in the minds of Australian consumers.Although the Monster's logo of a monster claw shaped as an ‘M' is easily recognizable internationally, Australian consumers still lack the ability to recognize or recall the product category in which Monster belongs. The breadth of brand awareness concerns the rang e of purchase and usage situations in which the brand comes to mind (Keller, 2008), which largely depends on the organization of the brand and the product knowledge in consumers' memory.Today, Red Bull is the most recognized ND profitable energy drink in the world and is a beverage consumed at any time throughout the day. Both Red Bull and Monster offer a range of energy products, targeting consumption at different times throughout a given day. Both brands have broad brand awareness, consumers associating them with extreme sports, beverage for consumption early, mid or late in the day and an energy booster. Experiment 1 A research survey was conducted with a sample of 30 participants, 1 5 of which were male and 15 female (Fig 1 & 2).The objective of the survey research was to: Determine if males or females consume energy drinks and how frequently To determine the position of both Monster Energy and Red Bull in the mind of consumers Determine when and where the energy drink is most c onsumed Procedure The survey was formed with the appropriate questions to provide the data required to support brand awareness research on the energy drinks category. Participants were recruited from Speeches Australia Pity Ltd and also several students from the University of Western Sydney, Parameter campus.Results The first question was to determine how frequently males and females drink energy drinks throughout any given week (Fig 3). 19 participants reported drinking 1 or less energy drinks throughout the week with only 2 drinking 5 times a week. The next question asked what energy drink they consume and Red Bull came in at 43% popularity and Monster ranking third place at 20% Fig 4). The third question was asked to determine when and where the participants consumed their selected energy drink (Fig 5). 17 participants reported having an energy drink in the afternoons, with mornings being the time energy drinks were least consumed.Consumption within the workplace was reported as being the most common place of consumption with social events ranking in second with a reported 9 participants (Fig ). Summary Although the sample was small, the data research supports the statistics that Red Bull Energy rates higher in consumer's minds than Monster Energy. Despite both brands being strongly associated with humor, fun, excitement and extreme sports, one can conclude that because energy drinks are most consumed during the day and within the workplace, the breadth of brand awareness for both Monster and Red Bull is relatively broad.According to Asker (1992), brand association is anything linked in memory to a brand associations enable a company to differentiate their brands in the market and can be tildes as an organization's competitive advantage. Keller (2013) classifies brand associations into three categories; attributes, benefits and attitudes. Attributes are the features of the brand, benefits are the values the consumer attaches to the brand and attitudes refer s to the consumer's overall evaluation of the brand. Building brand equity can also be done through the leverage of related or secondary brand associations (Keller, 2013).Secondary brand association can be an effective way for an organization to reinforce existing strong, favorable and strong associations if the existing brand is deficient. Red Bull uses celebrity endorsements, sporting, cultural and community events as secondary brand associations. Low & Lamb (2000) discusses the importance of firms measuring being able to measure associations with their brands and the techniques that can be used to accurately measure consumer brand associations. Brand image, attitude and perceived quality have been used to measure brand associations for many years.After much research, Low & Lamb concluded that not all brand scales such as personality or attributes can be applied across all categories, therefore, acting as separate constructs as opposed to nee-dimensional brand associations. This g ives rise to the idea that consumers now have more developed memory structures for more familiar brands. The authors also suggest that care must be taken when measuring associations of familiar brands – as quoted by the author ‘Familiarity moderates the dimensionality of brand associations'.Asker (1996) asserts that in order for organizations to perform optimally and allocate resources fairly across its portfolio of brands, it must implement common measures of performance. Managers should seek new branding strategies, to always from the same category as their product, but from the other brand categories. This will provide fresh ideas and new insight, resulting in new product positioning in the market. Kara also discusses the use of ten different measurements used to measure brand associations.He also asserts that the one measurement of brand equity that can be used is price premium. The reason behind this is that regardless of brand, any driver of brand equity will affe ct price premium. The consumer's association with any given brand is important to any organization wishing to maintain competition in the business market. Suppresses (2000) discusses the lack of knowledge regarding brand association relevant to other brands in other product categories. Suppresses points out the challenges brought about by private label brands.Suppresses also discusses the ways by which firms can research consumers' brand associations including lengthy personal interviews as opposed to group interviews and validating given answers to questions. By validating answers, one can increase the probability of detecting hidden associations. Suppresses concludes that brand managers need to attain a deeper understanding f the sources of brand equity in order to implement optimal brand strategies and to maintain effective communication. The way by which firms undertake research should delve into the unconscious and non-verbal associations that consumers have for their brands (2 000).Experiment 2 Personal interviews were conducted with two participants, male and female, aged 27 and 19 respectively. The objective of the survey research was to: the emotions associated with Red Bull's secondary association through sporting imagery Determine the emotions evokes when the participants brand Red Bull Procedure The interview was conducted to determine the emotions consumers have Bull and its secondary brand association. Both participants (Male A and were students of University of Western Sydney, Parameter campus. Rest The words ‘RED BULL† was vocalizes to each participant two times.The FL to measure their initial reaction and the second was to validate that area reacted immediately with instant recognition and slight excitement. Fem. recognition but not of excitement. When validating their reactions, Male loves the brand and is a regular consumer however, Female B said she c Red Bull but is not a fan of the taste. A picture of the Red Bull logo (Fig. 5; to both participants and both reacted similarly, with recognition. Male A recognition and affordability for the brand with the use of facial express head gestures.Similar to the reacted of Female B, although she wasn't t the product. The third measurement was through the use of imagery re Bull's secondary association, sporting endorsements (Fig. 8). Male Bi's ex. increased and he vocalizes his interest in X-tree sporting events and of Red Bull's consistent involvement in the sporting arena. Female Bi's en however, dropped and was visible by her posture and lack of verbalism Brands can evoke strong emotions and memory associations from consul that one's negative perception of the brand as a result of taste or expert difficult for organizations to change.The research also illustrates that the association consumers hold with Red Bull is a positive one. Following Ex and Experiment 2, the results reflect the premise that the selected bran extensive brand salience with consumers and that if consumers are expo positive marketing, perceptions tend to remain. Red Bull is a superior BRB otherwise saturated energy drink category, posing increased competition riveter label beverages and other energy brands. By continuously impair strategic branding, firms can be certain that with these strategies, it will competitive edge within the business market.Brand management with industry is of utmost importance, as monopoly retailers continue to dicta brands to display on their shelves, minimizing consumer choice and the increasing competition within all product categories. The energy drinks exception, with consumers increasingly becoming more health conscious industry battling to remain competitive with an increasingly globalizes market. With the right brand strategies and managers to drive and imply strategies, one can be confident that Red Bull will continue to dominate energy market share. Appendix Fig 7.

Scrutinizing Adultery in the East Asian milieu through East Asian films

The ThinkExist dictionary states that adultery means immorality or unchastity of thinking as well as demeanour, as outlawed by the seventh commandment. It is the â€Å"unfaithfulness of a married person to the marriage bed; sexual intercourse by a married man with another other than his wife, or voluntary sexual intercourse by a married woman with another other than her husband†.It is regrettable that adultery is becoming extensive and out of control in the society of today. The fact that adultery is becoming widespread is perhaps due to the moral disposition of a particular country and its inhabitants or lack of appropriate implementation of the laws on adultery of a certain country.Astoundingly, adultery can be investigated in diverse contexts depending on the mores or background surrounding which adultery has been looked into. This write-up seeks to explore the concept of adultery in the East Asian context or perception by way of East Asian films or other creative or litera ry works for that matter.In the article Adultery and Bigamy in China, Jeffrey Hays describes how adultery is being depicted in the book â€Å"Bound Feet and Western Dress† by Pang-Mei Natasha Chang. Hays pointed out that the Chinese author Pang-Mei Natasha Chang tells the story of her great aunt Yu-I through this book.The book starts with the childhood days of Yu-I, her arranged marriage to Hsu Chih-Mo (her husband who was unfaithful to her), their divorce and the profession she later had. In this book, the author Pang-Mei Natasha Chang is told by her great aunt Yu-I, â€Å"You always ask me if I loved Hsu Chih-Mo, and you know I cannot answer this. It confuses me, this question, because everyone always tells me that I did so much for Hsu Chih-Mo, I must have loved him.In my entire life, I have never said to anyone, ‘I love you.' If caring for Hsu Chih-Mo and his family was love, then maybe I loved him†. Without a doubt, the book â€Å"Bound Feet and Western Dre ss† enlightens readers of the story of the earliest contemporary adultery in China.The adultery committed by Hsu Chih-Mo, the husband of Yu-I, in the narrative was stimulated by the actuality that the characters in the story were involved in an arranged marriage which is common in China.Arranged marriages can fuel or can cause adulterous acts to be perpetrated by either the husband or the wife with another woman or man correspondingly because of the fact that these types of marriages brings into the marital union two persons who are completely strangers to each other.These strangers are compelled to treat each other as husband and wife without being given the opportunity to know each other well. Hence, it becomes inevitable for any of the spouses to seek extramarital affection through illicit affairs with someone other than their spouses the moment they discovered that they are not really in love with the person they have married.Jeffrey Hays in the article Adultery and Bigamy in China laments that â€Å"simplified marriage procedures have led to a rise in bigamy†. In the past, according to Hays, it was ordinary for rich Chinese men to marry three or four women simultaneously. The wives had diverse responsibilities. They regularly had shared duties in the rearing and raising of their different children.The Chinese authorities plan to make public the nationwide marriage registry online so that wives can investigate their spouses and be convinced that they are not married to other women. The scheme has been initiated in order to eradicate bigamy and other adulterous conduct especially among Chinese men.The Chinese movie â€Å"In the Mood for Love† is another artistic work that depicts adultery in East Asian perspective. The director of the film is Wong Kar Wai. TKL, the assessor of the movie, states that regardless of all the hitches that occurred while the movie was being filmed, it turned out to be one of the best works of Wong Kar Wai.The film, according to TKL, is a soppy work of art that tells the story of a â€Å"couple in love and of lost opportunities†. The central characters in the movie, namely Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) are both married to their respective spouses.They, however, got acquainted with each other and soon traded glimpses and lovely salutations towards each other. An extramarital affair soon began between the two characters after they have determined that their respective spouses were having an illicit affair.TKL continues his movie review by stating that Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow initially wanted to map out how the illicit affair of their respective spouses began â€Å"until they unknowingly fell in love with each other too†.Mrs. Chan turned down the idea of fostering their extramarital relationship on account of her guilt feelings and on account of the fact that she did not want to be unfaithful like her husband and the wife of Mr. Chow. The film is clouded with romantic pass ions and unexpressed emotions.TKL declares that there was absence of societal restriction and there was no genuine disapproval for adultery. â€Å"The movie carries such pessimistic views†, TKL continues. â€Å"There is no positive message about fighting for love, or overcoming obstacles for love or even that love conquers all†.The movie mainly depicts the lives of those people who are not daring when it comes to love and prefer not to take the risks and spend the rest of their lives in disappointment and misery as a result. It shows how chances that once were lost could be lost perpetually.This Chinese motion picture suggests a familiar view that happiness can be obtained through a prohibited relationship with another person and such bliss can be forever unachievable if one were to select the rightful path. The rightful path is the path that invites one to forget one’s feelings towards someone who is not his or her spouse and evade extramarital relationship.Sou th Korea is one more country besides China which is situated in East Asia. South Korean dramas or motion pictures have achieved prominence and intense popularity in the past years. South Korean actors and actresses themselves have achieved tremendous recognition not only in South Korea but also in other states particularly in Asia and in the countries in the West.Cedric Collemine, in his article Adultery is Secret of Dramas’ Success, proclaims that when unfaithfulness is the main account of a new motion picture or a drama series in South Korea, spectators criticize and state that they have enough of the theme. Nevertheless, it was determined that these same spectators continue to be fastened to their television screens.Spectators pass judgment on stories about adulterous affairs but they still get pleasure from watching them. â€Å"And the more infidelity a show has, the higher its TV ratings are†. Collemine continues his scrutiny by relating that SBS will show a fresh drama series entitled â€Å"The Other Woman† and to separate this drama series from the other drama series, it will illustrate several unsafe extramarital relationships.To demonstrate uniqueness, Collemine states that the conception of the drama â€Å"The Other Woman† is â€Å"double infidelity†. A lady in the drama suffers extreme heartaches because of the illicit affairs committed by her spouse, but then she herself is committing adultery.It is important to mention that the plot that one person suffered pain due to the adulterous relationship of his or her spouse and then later finds himself or herself to fall into another traitorous relationship is parallel to the movie ‘April Snow’, starring Bae Yong-joon and Son Ye-jin.â€Å"My Rosy Life† is another South Korean drama series that is featured in the article Adultery is Secret of Dramas’ Success by Cedric Collemine. The story of â€Å"My Rosy Life† starts with a woman who â €Å"looks back into her own life after her marriage is in shambles after her husband committed adultery†. Jee-su, the central character in the narrative, is a staunch housewife for a decade.Her other half, Jae-min suddenly makes a shocking announcement. The shocking announcement is that Jae-min, her husband, is in love with another woman. He demands a divorce from his wife whom he has been married for thirteen years in order to live with another woman whom he has been having an affair for only two months.Jae-min tries every means in order to get a divorce from Jee-su his wife while Jee-su tries everything to alter the decision of her husband. The divorce came and after which, Jae-min asks his mistress to tie the knot with him but his mistress declines. For the time being, Jee-su lives alone and runs a business when she gets acquainted with a cable TV producer named Do-yeon whom she has fallen in love with.Ironically, the wife of Do-yeon is the mistress of her husband Jae-min. â€Å"Jee-su, who was a victim to the infidelity of her husband, now becomes the afflicter, and the four people get entangled in complicated love relationships†. This narrative, according to the producers, will offer an occasion for fully grown people to bring to mind their lives after marriage.Nevertheless, in contrast to â€Å"My Rosy Life†, which culminates with remorse and a recuperated marriage, â€Å"The Other Woman† inflames the audience with a lot of complex adulterous love affairs. It is safe to proclaim that up to date motion pictures and dramas have had triumph with traitorous themes.Surprisingly, however, in contrast to the triumph that these South Korean dramas and films with adulterous content experience, adulterous relationships perpetrated in actuality are dealt with seriously by the South Korean government. In connection with this, Jack Kim in his write-up, Jail for Adultery Law Upheld, asserts that the highest court of South Korea has upheld a n adultery law that is decades-old.The said adultery law can imprison guilty persons due to the commission of illicit or adulterous love affairs. Some people, however, say that such fact pertaining to imprisonment due to defiance of the adultery law is â€Å"anachronistic and infringes on personal freedom†. According to Jack Kim in his write-up, the court declares that the lawful observation of the general public that â€Å"adultery is damaging to the social order and infringes on the rights of another continues to be effective†.The legal battle began when the lawyers for actress Ok Bo-kyung made an appeal in January of 2008 in connection to the chaotic divorce arrangements that Ok Bo-kyung and her husband had entered into. Ok Bo-kyung disclosed that she indeed had an extramarital affair; nevertheless she accused her husband as an inadequate spouse.â€Å"The adultery law †¦ has degenerated into a means of revenge by the spouse, rather than a means of saving a mar riage,† the petition of Ok Bo-kyung had said. The adultery law was passed by the South Korean government in 1953 for the purpose of protecting women. Kim further disclosed that â€Å"in this male-dominated society, women had little recourse against a husband who had an affair.Back then, if a wife walked out of a marriage, she would often end up alone and penniless†. Currently, it is infrequent for unfaithful spouses to be imprisoned but such fact has not prevented lots of furious spouses from initiating criminal complaints every year. Indeed, it is clear by scrutinizing the circumstances at hand, that the adultery law of South Korea has a very righteous and noble objective which is that of safeguarding the marital rights of women and deferring unfaithful husbands from committing adultery.It is also obvious however, that although the law has been utilized towards that end, it has also been utilized towards other aims such as seeking retribution and justice.The diverse Ea st Asian films and other creative efforts that were dealt with that contained betrayal and adulterous subject matters can be utilized to explore how these films and artistic works reflect the viewpoint of a particular country on adultery and more importantly the character of the people in a particular country.To start with, it is relevant to point out the piece of writing entitled, Film View; What’s Adultery? A Little Sex, A Lot of Politics which is written by Caryn James. James, in her writing states that it is significant to examine what several film makers are doing for adultery at present. No less than eight movies from seven nations have provided a notion of betrayal around the globe in the past days.James pointed out that it is a clearly identifiable indication of a tumultuous â€Å"social era†. The film â€Å"Ju Duo† which is set in China in the 1920’s has a familiar storyline which is that of an arranged marriage between an adolescent girl and an elder man.The arranged marriage directs the adolescent woman to commit infidelity which unfortunately leads to murder. The Japanese film â€Å"The Sting of Death† on the other hand, illustrates a woman who realizes the adultery committed by her husband and goes crazy. James, in his writing cleverly pronounces that films like â€Å"Ju Duo†, â€Å"The Sting of Death† as well as the manuscript entitled, â€Å"Bound Feet and Western Dress† bring to the fore conjugal faithlessness to an imaginative and creative aspiration.James said that â€Å"in all these films, adultery is more than a matter of love or passion†. These films use the account of the marriage and adultery of a person to unveil societal insincerity in order to examine and condemn â€Å"one of the most crucial standards by which any culture lives†.â€Å"Most often, infidelity becomes a symbolic act of rebellion against the traditional social order†. Simply put, the diverse Eas t Asian movies particularly those in China that has adultery as their main theme are utilized by filmmakers in order to demonstrate their condemnation and disapproval of the existence of arranged marriages as part of the culture and common practices in China.Their disapproval on arranged marriages is being manifested in a subtle and imaginative fashion.Every East Asia film on adultery has been dealt with in a manner attributable to the â€Å"cinematic style† of each country in order to portray exceptionality and to present an informative â€Å"cross-cultural view†. In movies such as â€Å"Ju Dou†, adulterous conduct is unequivocally illustrated as a brave opposition against obsolete and old-fashioned practices. James said that these movies enlighten viewers of zeal and aggression, but they are more concerned with societal commentary.In the film â€Å"Ju Dou†, every ensuing behaviour of the main character named Ju Dou rebels the common practices of China t hat fastens her to an abusive spouse. â€Å"The affair and illegitimate son she has with Tian Qing are both symbolic and personal†. The abusive husband, so despicable that he attempts to kill the child, symbolizes the wicked traditions (and in addition the Chinese government dominion) that have held China back.When the wicked husband dies, a family leader calls upon the prehistoric ideas and evicts Tian Qing. â€Å"Challenging such rigid social patterns is both heroic and tragic and in this context, the persistent love between Ju Dou and Tian Qing is as much a failed social rebellion as it is a private passion†. James further said that in films such as â€Å"Ju Dou, the movie producer feels sorry for seditious lovers, whose ardent opposition to tradition bears figurative credence.The other personalities in the movie who contest the arranged marriage and the penalty for adultery are likewise tough characters. Nevertheless, the insurgence falls short, leading to a berea vement that functions as a powerful condemnation of obsolete common practices for its own sake. The film â€Å"The Sting of Death†, on the other end, is much more unequivocal in its utilization of adulterous theme as a ‘social metaphor’.â€Å"The film uses the medium of the relationship of a husband and wife to graphically depict the character of the Japanese people in the post war era†.The wife in this story married a soldier about to be sent to battle. This movie does not portray an arranged marriage but it is one that is â€Å"coloured by the exigencies of war and nationalism† and â€Å"when she discovers his infidelity after ten years of marriage and two children, the screen overflows with his guilt, her obsessive recriminations and mutual threats of suicide†.Certainly, the various East Asia movies and creative works that were scrutinized in this composition reflect the objective of the movie producers in creating such films with adultero us subject matters. These movie producers want to make a virulent statement towards the government of the country where they inhabit.These movie makers used artistic mechanisms to display their condemnation of a certain rigid societal pattern or to display their abhorrence or adoration to adultery itself and finally to demonstrate their deliberation on the quality of the people in a particular country specially those countries wherein which adulterous relationship is rampant. Works CitedCollemine, Cedric. â€Å"Adultery is Secret of Dramas’ Success†. December 2, 2005. .Hays, Jeffrey. â€Å"Adultery and Bigamy in China†. April 2010. .James, Caryn. â€Å"Film View; What’s Adultery? A Little Sex, A Lot of Politics†. October 14, 1990. .Kim, Jack. â€Å"Jail for Adultery Law Upheld†. October 30, 2008. .ThinkExist, â€Å"Meaning of Adultery†. 2010. TKL, â€Å"In the Mood for Love†. 2008. < http://www.spcnet.tv/Movies/In-the-Mood-for-Love-review-r444.html>.

The Meaning of Myths, Folklore, Legends and Fairy Tales

The terms myth, folklore, legend, and fairy tale are often used interchangeably, leading to the misconception that they mean the same thing: fanciful tales. Although its true that these terms may refer to bodies of writing  that answer some of lifes basic questions or present commentary on morality,  each type presents a distinct reader experience. Theyve all stood the test of time, which speaks volumes about their ongoing hold on our imaginations. Myth A myth is a traditional story that may answer lifes overarching questions, such as  the origins of the world (the creation myth) or of a people. A myth can also be an attempt to explain mysteries, supernatural events, and cultural traditions.  Sometimes sacred in nature, a myth can involve gods or other creatures. It presents reality in dramatic ways. Many cultures have their own versions of common myths that  contain archetypal images and themes. One common myth that spans multiple cultures is that of a great flood. Myth criticism is used to analyze these threads in literature. A prominent name in myth criticism is that of the literary critic, professor, and editor Northrop Frye. Folklore and Folktale Whereas myth has at its core the origins of a people and is often sacred, folklore is a collection of fictional tales about people or animals. Superstitions and unfounded beliefs are important elements in the folklore tradition. Both myths and folklore were originally circulated orally. Folktales describe how the  main character copes with the events of everyday life, and the tale may involve crisis or conflict. These stories may teach people how to cope with life (or dying) and also have themes common among cultures worldwide. The study of folklore is called folkloristics.   Legend A legend is a story thats purported to be historical in nature but that is without substantiation. Prominent examples include King Arthur, Blackbeard,  and Robin Hood. Where evidence of historical figures, such as  King Richard, actually exists, figures such as  King Arthur  are legends due in large part to the many stories that have been created about them. Legend also refers to anything that inspires a body of stories or anything of lasting importance or fame. The story is handed down orally but continues to evolve with time. Much of early literature began as legend told and retold in epic poems that were passed down orally originally, then at some point written down. These include masterpieces such as the Greek Homeric Poems (The Iliad and The Odyssey), circa 800 BCE,  to the French Chanson de Roland, circa  1100 CE. Fairy Tale A fairy tale may involve fairies, giants, dragons, elves, goblins, dwarves, and other fanciful and fantastic forces. Although originally  not written for children, in the most recent century, many old fairy tales have been Disneyfied to be less sinister and to appeal to kids.  These stories have taken on lives of their own. In fact, many classic and contemporary books, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White, are based on fairy tales. But read the original Grimm brothers fairy tales, for example, and youll be surprised at the endings and how they differ from the versions that you may have grown up with.