Lifespan Development and Personality Paper Essay

Lifespan Development and Personality Paper - Essay Example This essay will be considering several incidents that took place throughout the course of Hitler's childhood and youth, reflecting on the way that they may have been instrumental in shaping the future personality, philosophy, and beliefs of the dictator. Through this observation, thought will be given concerning the different influences that affected his psychological development, with a view to determining how his growth could have been optimized. Finally, two different personality theories will be discussed, with an emphasis placed on the theory that best accounts for Hitler's behavior, with reasons give for this choice. Adolph Hitler, like millions of other children, had a difficult childhood that was marked with diverse tragedies, violence, personal failure, and under achievement. Born 1889, in Braunau Am Inn, which is a small Austrian village just across the boarder from German Bavaria, Adolph lived with his family on a small farm. The family moved on several occasions when Adolph was a young boy, which caused several disruptions in his schooling, and his childhood was dominated by a father, who was a strict disciplinarian. The whippings and beatings were so bad that Alois Jn. left home at fourteen years of age, never to see his father again. Adolph was just seven years old at the time. Hitler's obsession with authority and power were present from a very young age, and were reflected through his love of playing war, role games, a fascination with any kind of authority figures, and his intense dislike of being corrected in any form. He had a terrible reputation at school, due to his refusal to either obey, or study. It is also evident from research material that Hitler, even when still a young child, believed himself to be different. He saw himself as 'one of the lads', a popular ring-leader, who enjoyed hanging around with the tougher boys, whereas others have described him as a violent child, with a harsh temper, and spoilt by his mother. It is evident that he needed to be the 'leader' during any game, portraying at an early age his need to control both events and people. The cold fingers of death first touched Hitler's life when his little brother Edmund died of measles, and was believed to have deeply affected him. He could see his brother's miniscule grave from his bedroom window and, in later years, neighbours spoke of remembering the young Adolph often sitting on the wall of the cemetery, just staring into space (Wikipedia, Online Article, 2007). The sudden, and early, death of Adolph's father in 1903 caused the thirteen-year-old boy to break down and cry. However, it also meant that no one was there to enforce discipline, or to guide the already headstrong young lad, and it was from this time onwards that Hitler began to really fail academically. Hitler had, before his father's death, already experienced difficulties at school, but after his father's departure, his behaviour deteriorated, and he was reputed as being a difficult student, with many teachers feeling that he ought to be expelled. He finally left school, definitively, at sixteen years old, without accomplishing his exams, claiming

Why are men most of the time the leading character in science fiction Essay

Why are men most of the time the leading character in science fiction films - Essay Example Such determinations have manifested through female actors joining and streaming the art of science fiction films to agitate for their recognition. Feminist female writers have expressed desire to translate the current social shift that is intending to achieve total gender equality. Many reasons underlie the mystery of male gender appear to dominate or assume massive roles as leading characters in the science fiction film. One reason attributes to the intensive use of technology in the science fiction films (Tolette 42). In most of the science fiction films, it is common to come across high-tech guns, rockets, robots and massive scientific phenomena in the lines of technology. It is undisputable that male genders or men have been the main innovators, inventors and creators of the technologies and the technological devices. The fact that they create technology and technological devices places them in the best position to control and manage the operations of the devices. Tolette confirm s that these are facts known to every individual in the wider societies and it would be deceptive or meaningless for writers of the science fiction films give women leading roles in the movies (49). The aspect of deception can occur because movies and films act as reflections of the contemporary or future social issues within the particular societies, and people find it enjoyable when movies demonstrate some aspects of social reality. This means that using male gender to play leading roles in the films creates sense of reasonability, credibility and authenticity of the particular films of science fiction. However, the technological aspect tat warrants male dominance in the science fiction films is slowly fading since women are increasingly participating in technological advancements making it reasonable to begin featuring females as leading characters in the films. One example of such developments includes The Stepford Wives (1975) that featured a small village where there was gradu al replacement of wives with robotic women (Stange, Carol and Jane 1223). Other examples are the Eve of Destruction (1991, Aliens (1986), Terminator 2 and Cherry 2000 (1987), which pointedly placed women in the positions of technological mastery. The listed films feature women as wielders of hardware, creators of powerful programs and givers of orders. In the demonstration of Johnston, another reason for male taking leading roles in most of the science fiction movies relates to the fact that they men constitute the majority writers of the films (52). This dominance has seen male film writers focus on giving men roles of leading characters. The dominant male film writers also take advantage of widespread perception and reality that men constitute the great scientists and use the scientific fictions in films to confirm this reality to the societies. In addition, dominant male writers of the science fiction films use the privilege to hold on the traditional beliefs that put men above w omen. The film writers have the urge to demonstrate and reinforce their initial social order of making women subjective to men and incapable of playing complex roles. Another reason for domination of male in leading characters in science fiction relates to be belief that women make decisions based on emotions and tension while those of males rely on rationality (Stange, Carol and Jane 1224) 43). This fact makes filmmakers afford women subordinate and supporting roles while men play leading roles. Science fiction films solely bases on the principles of technology and are tech intensive. To operate successfully, scientific devices such as those