Existentialist view on human nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Existentialist view on human nature - Essay Example For thousands of years, people have debated whether God exists, and most conclude that it cannot be proven. Karl Barth asserts that God â€Å"rules unconditionally and irresistibly in all occurrences. Nature is God’s servant, the instrument of his purposes. God controls, orders, and determines, for ‘nothing can be done except the will of God†. Aquinas argued that â€Å"God is impassible, unaffected by the world. Since God knows all events in advance and controls every detail, divine knowledge is unchanging and in, God there is no element of responsiveness†. In this context, an analysis of opinions expressed by different philosophers is paramount in understanding the analogy of self and being, and it is postulated that the correct answer lies in the area of abstract philosophy and the metaphysical. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human exist ence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. Danish religious philosopher Soren Aabye Kierkegaard is considered as the founder of existentialism and is remembered for his critique of the systematic rational philosophy of Hegel on the ground that actual life cannot be contained within an abstract conceptual system. Kierkegaard rejected collective thinking, and insisted on the importance of the individuals and resisted the features of Hegel's tendency to mediate all oppositions and to hold out the prospect of complete understanding of god. Hegel maintained that true understanding can only be attained if one has a comprehension of 'The Absolute', and for Hegel the whole of human history and intellect constitutes a progressive self-realization of this Absolute spirit that takes place through 'dialectic.' (Stevenson, 1987, p.54). He believed that to an extent the mind has not completed its journey toward the absolute, the individual experience alienation, and a strong sense of awareness is essential to accomplish this goal. Hegel's emphasis on self-awareness in establishing self-realization is strongly reflected in existential philosophy. Marx also adopted the concept of alienation into his thinking, but maintained that such self-estrangement is a product of economic and social factors, and not of a metaphysical relationship. Rene Descartes assumed a dichotomy between thinking substance and extended substance, the ghost in the machine, and faced the problem of how we can have valid knowledge of objects if the only basis for knowledge is intuitive individual self-consciousness. Martin Heidegger believed that the individual and the world are inseparable, and postulated that 'to be' involves existing, and existing involves constant and dynamic change. Although one has no choice regarding some of the circumstances he lives in, these factors determine the context in which one exercises one's freedom and defines his/her existence. The position of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, that the physical world did not transcend consciousness, or of objective or absolute idealism, that the world was an aspect of an absolute min d, has

School Administrators Essay Example for Free

School Administrators Essay The role of education does not solely revolve around creating opportunities for children to learn and acquire information. At the same time, the role of reaching out to the community and reaping its benefits have been becoming part of administrative practice. With this idea on mind, there is an increasing need for administrators and educators to create an active environment for participation to extract the needed skills and capabilities to adapt to the challenges and trends of the present environment. Looking at the survey provided, it tries to outline the relevance of such programs not only among administrators and educators but also to parents and students. This is essential because it can create transparency and accountability among the facilitators of the program. At the same time, it allows the educational institution to create new and renew relationships that are relevant to maintain strong partnerships. â€Å"The goal of school-community relations expands on the definition of public relations; the goal of school-community relations it to help develop and maintain relationships† (Hopkins, 2005, p. 1). Another significant component of this initiative is the presence of goals and objectives in every program. This is relevant because it can generate the needed results and actively promote the target audience and provide direction on specific outputs. Likewise, it is important that these outputs are clear and concise because it can increase the chances that the program can be successful and be implemented better on target audiences (Ley, 1999). Through this, it can necessitate effective outcomes and create opportunities for relationships to grow in the process. Communication and interaction is also another relevant element that contributes to community building. Actively coordinating programs towards intended and target audiences can help spread out the word and supplement the objectives by giving the chance for each one to cooperate and take part in the process. Seeing this, it does not only work for actors such as parents, students, and teachers. Rather, there are also significant members who can contribute in the field. â€Å"All of those community members might be interested in knowing how a schools test results and student work compare to other schools† (Hopkins, 2005, p. 1). Operating on this concept, it can be argued that having effective communication can create active environments for cooperation and collaboration. These community programs can serve as a bridge in increasing support mechanisms that are essential not only for students but also for the educational institution as well. At the same time, having a harmonious relationship with these individuals and groups can enhance public relations that can be beneficial for the school’s growth and continuous development (Ley, 1999). Seeing all of these, leadership is a vital component that can merge these concepts together and allow the interaction and change to occur. Organizers must actively realize that by promoting this initiative, they can actively achieve necessary outcomes that will cater student awareness of revolving issues in the community and help them adapt to the elements that continue to be manifested in society. To conclude, community relations have been growing as an important element of student education. By allowing each individual to be immersed to different programs it can reap benefits and experiences not taught in classrooms. At the same time, it can help further and sustain relationships that are also significant not only on creating a good image for the educational institution but also harness the ability of each actor to grasp diversity and complexity in society. References Hopkins, G. (2005) School-Community Relations is Great PR And Then Some in Education World. Retrieved April 23, 2009 from, http://www. education-world. com/a_issues/chat/chat143. shtml Ley, J. (1999) Charter Starters Leadership Training Workbook 5: Community Relations in Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved April 23, 2009. 1-50.

Is Media Globalization A Form Of Cultural Imperialism Media Essay

Is Media Globalization A Form Of Cultural Imperialism Media Essay It can be argued that media globalisation can be a form of cultural imperialism but others may argue that its not. Many critics have defined globalisation or media imperialism as an important channel for the expansion of consumer-based culture extending across borders (Tomlinson J. 1997, p22). The critics have also defined the growing phenomenon of people from North America who tend to buy media and entertainment products from there. As a result they are heavily influenced with what the media tells them that the consumers seem to be led in one direction of culture and hence the effect of this is that people are dislodged from their own culture because of cultural imperialism which is a direct result of media globalisation and the effects of it. Media globalisation can play a huge role in various cultures thus impending cultural imperialism. For instance, the generation of ideas and culture from the developed and modern west to the undeveloped world such as Asia can result in homogenisation of consumerist culture which can endanger and alter cultural values (Tomlinson J. 1997, p23). Media imperialism can be defined as a progression where the arrangement, ownership allocation and the actual content of the media in a specific country can be influenced by external pressures from the content of the media in other countries or country without the same response of influence from the country that is affected (Boyd-Barrett, O. 1998, p160). The concept of media imperialism was developed after a broader analysis of cultural imperialism and dependency took place. Imperialism could differ in relation to other forms of media which consist of diverse heights, proportions of activity in various different media sectors. The definition itself refers to ownership, structure, distribution or content (Boyd-Barrett, O. 1998, p162). Many factors can affect media globalisation such as economic, social, cultural and political factors. Media globalisation is a form of cultural imperialism as media in places such as America with channels such as CNN broadcast government news which can most assuredly influence people from around the world as television is a communication channel and depending on what industry they belong to, it may biased thus it would contribute towards cultural imperialism which shows how the media integrates and thus affect it (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40). During the 1960s and the 1970s America and some other First World nations took the media to their advantage. America challenged the idea of the emergence of news and cultural factors for example film, music, television and advertisements and thus entertainment was portrayed through the media which helped to develop many countries (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40). Some critics such as Herman and McChesney argue that the main universal avenue, specifically in regards to the media, is still taken over by the American interests and by the American domestic market, although its importance may turn down as other nations become more prosperous and become more media active (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40). With the widespread of the Internet, it has given the media another channel to which to interact with the world and is the most useful, all-encompassing channel of communication used throughout the world. Media globalisation has greatly expanded the significance of communication through various media channels such as social networking sites on Facebook which has become so dominant that people from around the globe and from countless different cultures use these communication channels even though it originally originated from the West but which still has many affects on the less developed world. The radio is also another form of media which can generate globalisation in the sense that it has universal accessibility. The radio has been around for hundreds of years and it still seen as an influential tool in helping and expanding ideas around the globe. The radio in Europe was mainly used for governmental uses during the times of war and thus other countries from around the globe considered the radio as a popular movement as well as a political dissenter which was used to criticise the state policies (Boyd-Barrett, O. 1998, p162). Furthermore, the radio is a tool which can be used for media purposes, educational, entertainment and they provide as useful political mediums to benefit the community. Hence, although many people treat the Internet as a worldwide, electronic device which is best known for democracy at its peak, it has led to a divide and has its own disadvantages. The Internet and technology itself has affected many social and economic factors within the society which has also affected those living in undeveloped countries that people who are poor do not have access to the Internet and considering that the Internet is part of a global movement, they seem to be neglected. The radio can still solve this issue in the sense that the radio has been around for many years and the less fortunate people may have some or little access to it and can contribute to everyday debates, politics and communication (Boyd-Barrett, O. 1998, p162). In summary, media globalisation affects people on so many levels depending on which form of media they use that although the Internet revolution may leave some people neglected, the radio may help and act as a substitute. Thus the form of cul tural imperialism will depend on who uses what media and whether they are influenced by it or not. Schilers early definition of cultural imperialism was highly inclusive. He described it as the total of the procedures in which the community is placed into the modern world system and how powerful it is that it tends to attract, force or even induce social institutions by shaping them (Stevenson N. 1999, p22). Thus the way the social institutions are shaped, it liaises and advertises the morals and structures of the powerful centre of the actual system. There is no globalisation without media and communication but this is sometimes ignored. The media itself acts as a connector which interconnects different cultures from around the globe. Marshall McLuhan describes globalisation as inter-relations amid various countries which aim to highlight the electronic media and technology which increasingly integrates the world and therefore the events in a certain country may be experienced in real-time by other people which would make the world more integrated (Eds. Golding P. Harris P. 1997, p17). Hence people from around the world are imposed by the cultural imperialism which takes place in regards to the media which heavily influences the public. The fusion of different cultures from different countries can be integrated, mixed and represented into various foremost forms of media representation which can form the media globalisation and multiculturalism. The expansion of the business model of media, foreign investment in the media and the power of multinational advertisers were seen to threaten the use of media for nationally determined, development -oriented purposes (Eds. Golding P. Harris P. 1997, p16). Media globalisation is a form of cultural imperialism as the media is tied in with the cultural concepts which originate from the financial dealings of dependency. Thus the minor or Third World countries are dependent on the industrialised world for money, technology and commodities whilst delivering cheaper items ensuing in little advantage to the local economy (Eds. Golding P. Harris P. 1997, p16). Therefore, the role of this culture is to make the undeveloped countries satisfied with what they have. This idea is similar to Gramscis theory of hegemony, in which the privileged battle to use the media and in order to set a prominent ideology for culture and informational uses (Eds. Golding P. Harris P. 1997, p18). In conclusion, there are many theories in regards to media globalisation and whether it is a form of cultural imperialism. The media imperialism is not structured. Boyd-Barrett depended on an experimental definition. He believed that media imperialism was unequal in the sense it provided different set of connections amongst countries specifically in regards to the media (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40). On the other hand, Marxist centered his theory on the inequality of power and the path in which the media flows whereas Lee described the stages of media imperialism which was observed. He particularly focused on the emergence of television, overseas savings and the adoption of foreign models and their impact on cultures (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40). However, some other critics noticed that Lee had missed several correlations between the bigger context of dependency and the media especially advertising as the focal point (Straubhaar, J.D. 1991, p40).

Sri Lanka :: Politics, Sinhalese Majority

Obtaining true Independence for Sri Lanka as a nation from the British was a long struggle which began in 1915 due to a rivalry between the Sri Lankan Muslims and the Sinhalese Majority over commercial interests which led to a riot in Colombo, the administrative capital of what is then known to the world as Ceylon (Corporation, 2008). The British, in response to the riots among the Ceylonese and the Muslims, placed the sole blame of these riots on the Sinhalese and implemented strict punishments on the Sinhalese showing (IrÄ manÃŒ ²Ã„ tanÃŒ ², 1916). As a result anti British feelings began to increase among the Sinhalese majority, and an intense interest was placed in needing to be an independent nation (Corporation, 2008). However, it was just a work in progress until the LSSP Sri Lanka Socialist movement founded in 1935 demanded that the nation be freed from the British and the administrative language of English be replaced with Sinhala and Tamil (Tambiah S. J., 1992). However, the plan of Sri Lanka being an independent nation which addressed the needs of all ethnic groups of the nation, despite starting as a collectivist ideology soon began to deteriorate upon obtaining the long waited freedom in February 1948. This was due to the post colonial separatist mentality (LePoer, 2002). Additionally following the independence, vital questions as the citizenship concerns of Sri Lanka’s up country Indian Tamils and the National Language concerns were not addressed (Roberts, 1994). Furthermore when these questions were addressed during the S.L.F.P rule from 1956-1965 the methods used in addressing these imperative problems which gave the minorities of Sri Lanka their individual identity was slanted toward the Sinhala majority (Hennayake, 2006, pp. 76-91). Considering the fact that an ethnic identity in a nation being a result of long preserved traditions followed by a set of people, when combined as a state with multiple ethnic identities will possibly result in a conflict of interests. Furthermore, as mentioned by Authors David Lake and Donald Rothchild, in most cases, the small minority will adopt to the Majority but when considering a substantial seize minority it becomes hard to adopt in such manner (Lake & Rothchild, 1998, p. 48). This being the case of the Sri Lankan Tamils who is a large minority in comparison to other groups, and having key administrative roles during the colonial era began to protest on the new Sri Lankan legislation as the â€Å"Sinhala Only Act† (Tambiah S.

Biblical Similarities in Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” Essay

Biblical Similarities in Hawthorne’s â€Å"Rappaccini’s DaughterIn Nathanial Hawthorne’s â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter,† many biblical parallels can be found. This short story duplicates the first three chapters of Genesis in the Bible. The similarities range from the characters, to the setting, and even to the deadly plant in the story. The account of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapters 1-3 is extremely similar to the situation of Giovanni and Beatrice in â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter†. In both â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† and the Genesis chapters in the Bible, lush, beautiful gardens are the setting. Both gardens are exotic and pretty, but the Garden of Eden is bright and tropical, whereas Dr. Rappaccini’s garden is dark and mysterious. Both gardens are home to a type of â€Å"forbidden† plant, but the Garden of Eden was created by God, whereas the garden in the story is created by a man with a god complex, Dr. Rappaccini. The forbidden plant in Genesis is a gorgeous fruit tree. The tree in the Garden of Eden is called the Tree of Knowledge and was extremely tempting to Adam and Eve. However, the tree was deemed prohibited by God. The plant in Rappaccini’s garden is a large flowering bush. The flowers on this bush are unlike any others and are extremely exquisite. The two plants share the trait of â€Å"forbidden,† but in different ways. The fruit on the tree in Genesis was forbidden because God said so. The plant in Rappaccini’s garden was forbidden because it was poisonous. The only person immune to the poison of this plant was Beatrice, then soon Giovanni. In Hawthorne’s story, a parallel between Giovanni and Adam is established. Both are young men, and each were tempted by a beautiful young woman. Giovanni in Hawthorne’s story was lured into the garden by Beatrice’s beauty. Adam was lured by Eve’s beauty to betray God. Beatrice and Eve also share similarities. They both are beautiful and young and are naà ¯ve to the evils of the world they live in. The serpent in â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† is clearly represented by Dr. Rappaccini and Professor Pietro Baglioni. Dr. Rappaccini is responsible for luring Giovanni into the garden for his daughter, and also for exposing him to the toxin that led to him becoming like Beatrice, poisonous and stuck in the garden. Professor Pietro Baglioni is responsible for giving Giovanni the silver vial with the supposed antidote for the poisons. When Giovanni gives Beatrice the vial she then dies because the poison is too entwined with her body. Sadly, she was not given a second chance like Adam and Eve. The story of â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† is an extremely enjoyable story with close biblical ties. The parallels are extremely apparent and also very important. What seems to be a story simply of fatal love is quite possibly a retelling of the opening chapter of Genesis in the Bible.

Article Critique on Video Game Play and Aggressive Thoughts and Behavior Essay

The study by Vincent Cicchirillo and Rebecca M. Chory-Assad (2005) entitled Effects of Affective Orientation and Video Game Play on Aggressive Thoughts and Behavior investigates the effect of violent video game on aggressive thoughts and behavior and the mediating role of affective orientation on this relationship. This study is prompted by the scarcity of research examining the role played by an individual’s personality in the processing of media effects. The underlying concept which frames the study is that of priming which is the idea that a certain stimulus will activate similar stimulus present in the mind of an individual, thus enabling a reproduction of the outside or presentation stimulus to occur (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). Media effect is based on this concept. It also supported by the neoassociatve perspective on cognition. In the neoassociative model, the mind is a network of nodes that corresponds to certain emotions, behaviors and thoughts. These nodes are connected by pathways that are strengthened by frequency of use and relatedness. When a particular node is activated, related nodes will be activated as well through the networks, resulting to production of other emotions, behaviors or thoughts which were not directly stimulated. Researches found that media such as video game can activate cognitive nodes (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). According to Cicchirillo and Chory-Assad (2005), personality traits such as affective orientation play a part in the processing of media effects. They define affective orientation as the tendency of an individual to utilize his emotions as a guide for behavior and decision-making (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). A person with a high affective orientation will respond to emotional cues and act accordingly, while one with a low affective orientation will act based on factual variables. The independent variable in the study is the administration of video game varying in content. The first video involved violence and the other involved non-violence. A second independent variable is the level of affective orientation of the participants. The dependent variables in the study are aggressive thoughts and aggressive behavior. Each dependent variable is measured with an appropriate scale to determine its interaction with the independent variables. Cicchirillo and Chory-Assad (2005) make two hypotheses in the study. First, participants who played violent video games will exhibit more aggressive thoughts and behavior than those who played non-violent games. This hypothesis is based on the gathered research supporting it and the concept of priming (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). Second, participants with high affective orientation who played violent video games will exhibit more aggressive thoughts and behavior than participants with low affective orientation who played the similar game and participants who played non-violent games (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). This hypothesis is based on the assumption that affective orientation mediates on the effect of violent video games on thought and behavior. To test the hypothesis, the researcher randomly asked 80 communication students at the beginning of the semester to answer questionnaires measuring their affective orientation. This was the first phase of the methodology. Thereafter, the second phase which is a laboratory test was initiated. The students who participated in the first phase were called back to participate in the second phase which involves the actual playing of video games. The students were divided randomly into two groups. One group was assigned to play a violent video game; the other group assigned to play a non-violent game. After playing for ten minutes, the students were asked to take a word completion test for three minutes to measure aggressive thoughts. Upon completion of the test, the students were told to evaluate the researcher on the pretext that this evaluation will be the basis for a research grant which the researcher was applying for. The evaluation form asked the students to assess the researcher’s courtesy, competence and deservedness of a financial support. The test was designed to measure the students’ aggressive behavior after playing the video game. A debriefing about the whole research was conducted after the students completed the evaluation. The results show that violent video games do not directly prime aggressive thought but it does prime aggressive behavior. They further conclude that some other process other than aggressive thoughts mediates the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). In addition, the study also shows that affective orientation does not mediate between video games and affective behavior, but between affective behavior and aggressive affect (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). In other words, video games stimulate the aggressive affect which may increase aggressive behavior depending on the level of affective orientation. A participant with a high affective orientation is more likely to exhibit aggressive though and behavior after playing violent video games than one who is otherwise. The methodology designed by the researchers is experimental to test both hypotheses. In the first hypotheses, they measured relationship between the independent variable (violent video game play) and dependent variable (aggressive cognition and aggressive behavior). In the second hypotheses, they measured the correlation between affective orientation and video game play in predicting the level of aggressive cognition and behavior. In measuring affective orientation, student participants were asked to answer Booth-Butterfield Affective Orientation 15 scale which was used in previous studies about the influence of affective orientation in behavior(Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). To measure aggressive cognition, mean scores from the word completion task were analyzed, while scores obtained from the evaluation of the researchers were used to measure aggressive behavior. The researchers decided to separate the scores obtained from three items in the evaluation of aggressive behavior because the correlation is low and the alpha reliability is unacceptable (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). The psychometric tools used by the researchers in measuring the variables of the study were culled from previous investigations of similar nature to ensure reliability and validity (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). Thus, the tools can be considered appropriate for the variables present in the hypotheses. There is a concern though about the nature of video games used in the experiment. From what Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad (2005) related, it can be observed that the violent video game [Grand Theft Auto] is relatively more complex than the non-violent game [etris)] As such, the researchers took a longer time in explaining the mechanics of the violent video game which may have affected the students’ evaluation of the researchers in the last phase of the experiment (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). The length of playing time and number of video games used may also have affected the correlative scores between variables. In previous studies, participants were allowed longer exposure to a number of media compared to the exposure used in this study (Anderson cited in Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). A significant result may have arisen if this method was appropriated. In addition, the instrument used in measuring aggressive condition, a word completion task, may also have influenced, or more specifically, limited the responses of students. According to the recommendations of the researchers, an alternative instrument, such as thought listing, may record accurate and significant results obtained during the actual playing of the game; a less constricted instrument may allow for a precise mapping of aggressive thoughts (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). Moreover, the method of word completion is a novel psychometric method in that only two studies have used it (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). The researchers reported that during the period between the first and second phase of the test, some of the student participants who answered the affective orientation questionnaire did not show up during the lab test (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). The original sample of 80 students was cut down to 59 and an additional 5 students who were not present during the first phase participated in the lab test. This significantly affected the results of the study. According to Kazdin (2003), in terms of sample selection, attrition, or the difference in the number of participant drop-outs in the groups, has significant effect on the result. He further suggested that to avoid attrition, researchers should select participants who are not likely to pull out of the experiment (2003). Considering that the experiment was done in a school setting, which is relatively easier to supervise than a broader setting such as a community, the researchers could have avoided the huge drop out of participants. The number of sample is crucial in arriving at a more definitive result as demonstrated in a similar study involving a sample of 65 participants (Anderson, C. ited in Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). The partial validation of both hypotheses in the study may be different if the following changes are adapted in the study. As mentioned, an increase of sample size will yield to a significant relationship between aggressive thought and aggressive behavior. A close (but not intrusive) monitoring of participants may enable researchers to avoid the occurrence of attrition. In addition, utilizing a more naturalistic setting for the lab tes t may result to significant changes. According to Kazdin (2003), one factor influencing the external validity of a research design is the level of a participant’s awareness that he or she is undertaking an experiment. The â€Å"reactivity to experimental arrangements† may be lowered if the researchers utilized non-artificial and informal setting. Another improvement applicable to the study is the distribution of sample. According to the researchers, there was a random uneven distribution of the participants in terms of gender and number, and this may have affected the results. Increasing the sample size and close monitoring of the participants will resolve this discrepancy. The statistical analyses used to measure the relationship of the variable are appropriate for testing the hypotheses. The impact of violent video-game play to aggressive thought and behavior, which is the first hypothesis, was determined using a one-tailed t-test. This test determines the relationship of two groups—in the studies case, the players of violent video games and players of non-violent video games—to a single variable. Cicchirillo & Chorry-Assad (2005) reports that violent video-game play influences aggressive behavior, but not aggressive thought. Since the second hypothesis involved a the relationship of two independent variables—that is, level of affective orientation and video-game play—the researchers appropriately used regression analyses to determine the closest fit in this relationship. The results show that high scores on affective orientation and playing violent video games influence some aggressive behavior, but, similar to the first hypothesis, not aggressive thoughts (Cicchirill & Chorry-Assad, 2005). Because of the numerous variables present in the study, an alternative method may present more disadvantage than otherwise. However, to accommodate the use of a more naturalistic set-up, the study may require a longer methodology in terms of time. The researchers may involve a sample of much younger participants—for instance, high school students. To measure their affective orientation, school departments such as the guidance office may be utilized to administer tests at the beginning of the school year. Instead of a laboratory test for the second phase, a survey may be done to gather data on violent video game use of the specific sample chosen for the test. Methods to measure aggressive thought and behavior may be similar to the Cicchirill & Chorry-Assad study, but may include observation of actual behavior of the participants in a natural school setting. The disadvantages of this method involve the constraints on time and money resources inherent in a longer experimentation, and the bigger probability of attrition also due to time element. The research may be extended by exploring cultural factors involved in determining affective orientation. According to Zimbardo et al (2005), personality types, such as thinking versus feeling, are influenced by cultural affiliations. For instance, some cultures do not distinguish thought and emotions as much as Americans do (Zimbardo et al, 2005). Further research such as this may enlighten recent issues involving mass killings in US associated with violent behavior adapted by young people from media. It may also explore the role of gender differences in determining affective orientation, the results of which may establish empirical grounds for gender associated aggression.