Gender and Leadership Essay Example for Free

Gender and Leadership Essay The seemingly never-ending battle between the descendants of Mars and Venus has permeated the corporate setting. The workplace has transformed into a fierce arena that directly witnesses the competition between men and women. Who performs better? Who is a better leader? These questions are often encountered within corporate environments. However, based from a critical examination, one cannot help but wonder whether gender readily define and determine the individual’s competence and efficiency. This is most especially true as for the case of relegating leadership and managerial roles. Despite of strong efforts to eliminate, if not totally, eliminate gender bias, women continues to suffer from discrimination and unequal distribution of power. On a deeper context, this dilemma is triggered not by the apparent lack of talent and skills of women. Moreso, the unequal treatment is attributed to one’s gender or sexual orientation. Discussion Former President Bill Clinton’s statement which places heavy emphasis on having a â€Å"new gender of leadership† can be interpreted in several ways. First, the said statement may pertain to the act of reconstructing the gender-based leadership roles in the corporate environment. As previously mentioned, the work place is highly patriarchal orientation. Having said this, such scenario therefore demands not only gender sensitivity, but more of recognizing and acknowledging the contributions of women employees. Oftentimes, women, despite of their hard work, are frequently neglected and taken for granted. Thus, having a new gender then, equates to providing new perspectives and approaches on how to address gender-related issues such as leadership, for example. Secondly, the statement may also refer to the actual replacement of male leaders. Clinton’s argument could be also understood as a rallying cry to eventually topple patriarchal hegemony in the corporate setting. But then again, regardless of the various interpretations given to such statement, one thing is clear—gender equality and opportunity should be readily exemplified in the workplace (Davidson Burke, 2000). Men and women should be given equal chance to pursue career growth and at the same time, showcase their skills and abilities. However, the bitter truth is that women employees continue to struggle and feasible solutions have not been made. There are different factors that seem to exclude women from the core functions of the workplace. First of all, women are constantly subjected into positions in which they cannot fully participate in decision-making activities. Sound and healthy decision-making skills are strict prerogatives of a competent leader. However, it seems impossible for women to develop such skills since they are denied of the chance and opportunity to put their talents into the test. In addition to that, the patriarchal ethos that prevails in corporate arenas leaves no choice for women but to continuously exert more effort in order to prove their value and worth. Relatively, the normative leadership traits attributed to women are also one of the reasons behind the lack of opportunity to acquire leadership roles. In many cases, women as leaders, are often questioned and to a certain extent—criticized when it comes to formulating concrete decisions (Hartmann-Tews Pfister, 2003). Women are perceived to constantly change their minds, which is a proven weakness, most especially in highly critical situations. In addition to that, women as overtly emotional beings are also being challenged since leadership roles heavily demand an authoritative figure. Also the idea that male leaders, are more likely to take risks, thus, manifesting a strong sense of competence, further subjects women into derogatory positions. But nonetheless, a careful analysis shows that the above-mentioned leadership characteristics of women are highly stereotyped. The truth of the matter is, gender can hardly affect the individual’s management and leadership traits. These two core functions are not innate—rather it is developed and improved via constant exposure to situations that require a pragmatic approach. Yet, as explained, exposure and career opportunities are often denied from women. Conclusion The call for a new gender in leadership, more than anything else, serves as a challenge to the whole corporate set-up. Everyday, a new breed or generation of efficient leaders and managers shall come into life. However, it is important to note that these commendable leaders are not determined by their gender. Regardless of whether an individual is a man or a woman, the ability to rule and govern are not exclusive to a specific gender. Being a leader is a right, not a mandated privilege. Therefore, in such a case in which discrimination and inequality may still persist, indeed, former President Clinton is correct; a new gender of leadership must be readily formed and established. However, this gender should be characterized by neutrality and not by socially-constructed terms such as being â€Å"male or female. † References Davidson, M. and Burke, R. (2000). Women in Management. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Hartmann-Tews, I. and Pfister, G. (2003). Sport and Women. London: Routledge

The Yellow Wallpaper -- Literary Analysis, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The psychologically thrilling story of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the dark and twisted aspect of the American society in the nineteenth century. Through the use of theme, Gilman creatively captures the cultural subordination and struggles women faced on a regular basis. The first theme present in the horrific and heart wrenching story is the subordinate position of women within marriage. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† begins with the narrator’s wish that her house were haunted like those in which â€Å"frightened heroines suffer Gothic horrors† (DeLamotte 5). However, this wish is in essence to empower herself. The narrator is already afraid of her husband and is suffering mentally and emotionally. She desperately wishes for an escape â€Å"through fantasy, into a symbolic version of her own plight: a version in which she would have a measure of distance and control† (DeLamotte 6). Throughout the text, Gilman reveals to the reader that during the time in which the story was written, men acquired the working role while women were accustomed to working within the boundaries of their â€Å"woman sphere†. This gender division meritoriously kept women in a childlike state of obliviousness and prevented them from reaching a ny scholastic or professional goals. John, the narrator’s husband, establishes a treatment for his wife through the assumption of his own superior wisdom and maturity. This narrow minded thinking leads him to patronize and control his wife, all in the name of â€Å"helping her†. The narrator soon begins to feel suffocated as she is â€Å"physically and emotionally trapped by her husband† (Korb). The narrator has zero control in the smallest details of her life and is consequently forced to retreat into her fantasies... ...at the narrator will possibly be physically restrained or imprisoned at some point when her husband regains consciousness. At that point, he will have no other choice but to send her back to her doctor or a mental institution. Nevertheless, the narrator’s mind will always remain free, emulating the freedom relished by the woman in the wallpaper. Unfortunately, this escape of reality means that the speaker will never reclaim any sort of rationality. With the deed of freeing the woman in the wallpaper, the narrator unintentionally guarantees the long lasting burden of insanity. All in all, the heart wrenching and goosebump producing story of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes the reader on a psychological rollercoaster ride. Through the swift use of theme, Gilman ingeniously illustrates the struggles women faced during the nineteenth century.

Psychoanalytic and Trait Approaches Personality Assessment Essay

I have always attributed personality as being a culmination of environment first, biology second, and traits, or what my understanding of them was. I was not aware of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic approach, or the correct definition of the trait theory prior to beginning this class. The psychoanalytic approach to personality defines the origins of personality as being divided in to three parts; the id (unconscious), the superego (preconscious) and the ego (conscious). Each part plays a distinct role in memory, response, desire, decision making, and conscience. With all three parts interacting, conflicting, expending psychic energy, and dictating who we are. In contrast the trait theory approach describes personality characteristics that are stable and are the basis of why individuals to do something, in certain ways, consistently. The psychoanalytic approach is subjective and is not easily measured whereas the trait approach specifically identifies and measures the various tr aits that make up an individual and how they interact with each other to form a personality. Freud believed that personalities are formed in the early stages of childhood, and are a series of sexually themed developmental stages. The first stage; birth to roughly 18 months, is the oral stage. At this stage babies are all about their mouths, and their behavioral patterns originate from this area. Freud believed that during this stage if a negative experience occurs, and too much of the psychosexual energy is expended in this area, then a fixation of psychic energy can occur. The result would be the development of an oral personality as an adult. Adults with oral personalities tend to need some type of oral fulfillment; often putting their hands to their mouths, they may be smokers, or may drink too much. The second psychosexually themed developmental stage that children go through, according to Freud, is the anal stage. This stage, like the first, is where behavioral patterns can emerge depending on the amount of psychosexual energy which is expended. Here, children have to learn control over bodily functions and depending on whether the experience is positive or negative, like behavioral patterns emerge. Freud believed that a negative experience could result in an adult personality that is obsessive, and stubborn. According to Freud, defense mechanisms exist as a way for the ego to deal with things it cannot filter from the anxiety created within the superego and the id. Displacement is a classic example of a defense mechanism. Have you ever had a bad d ay at work where nothing you did would satisfy your boss? Wanting to tell your boss off or acting on the frustrations or feelings would be detrimental to your job status. Instead of acting on that frustration it stays pent up, and by the time you get home from work you explode at your child, or spouse for some insignificant little infraction. Your taking your aggression out on a person who did not pose a threat to you is displacement. A second defense mechanism is reaction formation. Freud believed that using reaction formation allows us to hide how we feel by acting the exact opposite. A good example would be a person who is extremely outspoken about gay rights. Freud would have no doubt believed that because this person’s beliefs were so extreme that this person must be fighting an internal demon; maybe this person was fighting their own secret feelings of attraction for the same sex. Hence the old adage â€Å"†¦doth protest too much, methinks† (Shakespeare, 1601). A third defense mechanism is Intellectualization. This defense mechanism helps a person to distance themselves by removing the emotional side of the circumstance which allows a person to focus from a colder intellectual viewpoint. A good example of this would be a husband that passes away and the wife, also a mother does not allow herself to feel or show her pain for the sake of the children. She reasons that if she shows her pain the children will feel worse and above all else she must protect them so she reads, learns, and concentrates on methods to help get them through it. The Big Five Factor that best describes my personality would be openness. I do have an active imagination, and am open to considering new idea’s, and am not happy in an environment that is routine. I tend to thrive in chaos, and enjoy research. The Big Five factor that least describes me is Agreeableness. I do c onsider myself to be a helpful person, and while I volunteer for many organizations, I tend not to be sympathetic or trusting. I guess I have some trouble categorizing myself as being one way or the other, or having a specific trait over another because I find that it all so subjective. I would have to say the trait theories best align with my personality. I have some trouble identifying with the psychoanalytic personality description. The core theories, though some of them make sense, do not seem to align with what goes on inside my head. I have been through some pretty traumatic things in my life, but I am conscious of all of them. Why? I am so aware of them, have had to feel them in my head, my whole life. What makes me so different from other people who have been able to shove them to an unconscious level? And, is that better? The psychoanalytic approach as found in the text says that defense mechanisms are believed to offer an instrument for the mind to be able to isolate what it cannot deal with, yet this approach does not offer any stable patterns on what makes one person less able to deal with something than another. In conclusion, it appears that no one theory easily defines what makes up an individual’s personality and so far it all appears to be subjective. Reference: Burger, Jerry M. (2008). Personality (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Essay on Gatsby is Not Really Great - 852 Words

Is Gatsby Really Great? The first thing you see when you pick up this book is the Title â€Å"The Great Gatsby† So already you expect Gatsby to great before you have even opened the book. As the first chapter unravels The Narrator and Gatsby’s Neighbor Nick Carraway, tells us plainly that he loathes Gatsby, however by the end of the paragraph he describes Gatsby’s character as â€Å"gorgeous†. He also says â€Å"No Gatsby turned out alright in the end.† From now we begin to wonder about how great Gatsby really is? On one hand he is â€Å"vile† because Carraway tell us he has â€Å"Unaffected scorn† for him while on the other hand he is â€Å"gorgeous†. We consider Nicks opinions to be very accurate as he is a fair and sensitive person who is also the†¦show more content†¦However as we begin to learn about his corruption, and the way by which he came by this money, we begin to loose this image of greatness. Even Nick swings form admiration to resentment. When Gatsby tells Nick about all his great travels and accomplishments around Europe traveling like royalty and studying at oxford. This Makes Gatsby a hero, however Nick doesn’t believe him, until Montenegro is mentioned, and the same applies to us. This is the point when our faith in Gatsby’s greatness, is reaffirmed. As the book progress and we dig deeper into Gatsby’s past. We begin learning more and more about his life built upo n deception, we really start to suspect the rumors of his under ground involvement in crime, specially after meeting Meyer Wolfsheim. It is my personal opinion that Wolfsheim, was in fact a Jew, due to his characteristics, â€Å"a large nose† â€Å"a diminutive stature†. It is an important point to note, due to the fact that during the 1920’s, The Jews were blamed for Americas corruption, due to there infamous greed at that time. So when Gatsby is seen doing business with people like Wolfsheim, it slanders his name and he, is no longer the American dream, on the contrary, he is now, one of the people that corrupted America . We begin to learn his true identity is not Jay Gatsby, but that he is relay a man named James Gatz. As the story progresses we begin to realize, that Gatsby hasShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby- Do S Really Love Cars and Money?1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby- Do s really love cars and money? In F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, Gatsby attempts to be obtain his American dream with conspicuous consumption. Fitzgerald uses symbols of conspicuous consumption in money, cars and houses to show that the American dream of wealth and possessions doesnt necessarily ensure happiness. 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