Cultural Fiction Middle Adulthood Essay - 1968 Words

Cultural fiction Cultural fiction posits that ideas about middle adulthood are created by cultures. Different cultures have varying views in the ways they recognize and understand middle adulthood (Hutchison, 2015). In the United States, middle adulthood is often viewed through 2 cultural lenses. The first sees mid-life as a positive time in which an individual has accrued resources and coping mechanisms. The second view of middle adulthood is a negative â€Å"over-the-hill† perspective, in which this stage is viewed as a time of loss and decline (Hutchison, 2015). These differing views of losses and gains in middle adulthood can be seen in the dynamic between Harvey Milk, and his adversary (and murderer) Dan White. Harvey, throughout the film, accumulates as many resources as he can and makes strides in his cause to gain justice for the gay community. Middle-adulthood, for Milk, was truly the prime of his life. His political opponent, Dan White, however, experienced a serie s of losses, including his job and his political influence, which led him to become depressed and volcanically angry. White’s view of this time in his life was likely far more negative than Harvey’s. Immature mechanisms vs. mature mechanisms Immature mechanisms and mature mechanism describe the ways in which people cope with life’s demands. Immature mechanisms include denial, projection, passive-aggression, dissociation, acting out and fantasy. Mature mechanisms include sublimation, altruism and humorShow MoreRelatedCulture and Personality Development Essay906 Words   |  4 Pagesreflects how a person conducts his or her life and determines the establishment of a personçâ€" ´ belief system. Overall, cultural factors can bring out the development of oneçâ€" ´ personality due to their cultural perceptions. One way culture affects oneçâ€" ´ personality is how we perceive the world and the way one perceives them self. Some culture-specific characteristics link together cultural conditions such as complexity, tightness, individualism, and collectivism. This brings us to individualism and collectivismRead MoreThe Deeper Meanings that Lies in Fairy Tales1121 Words   |  5 PagesKenney and Melanie Wagner is that fairy tales are very important for a childs imagination and creativity. These fairy tales have at least five different routes taught to children that include how to handle problems, build emotional resiliency, cross cultural boundaries, teach stories and most importantly develop imagination and teach lessons (Kenney, Wagner, Why are Fairytales important for Young Children.?). Fairy tales help children handle problems by showing them how to over come them such as CinderellaRead MoreAn Indian Father s Plea Essay963 Words   |  4 Pageswho they are today. Personal experiences shape how you respond to situations. In â€Å"An Indian Father’s Plea† written by Robert Lake, the piece of fiction discusses how Wind-Wolf makes his own decisions based off of his past experiences. â€Å"...So now my young Indian child does not want to go to school anymore.†(92) Wind-Wolf is bullied at school for his cultural heritage, and decides he doesn’t want to go to school anymore. He is teased, this is to due with his culture, but also his emotions. He takesRead MoreSocial, Biological And Cognitive Changes1475 Words   |  6 Pages As children enter adolescence, cultural, biological and cognitive changes cause variation in their daily lives. Adolescents spend far less time with their parents and begin participating in both structured and unstructured peer activities.Without the direct presence of their parents or other adults, their peer network begins to become the primary context for most socialization and activity. These social cliques fundamentally influence adolescent life and development.Perhaps because they areRead MoreAdrienne Rich : A Literary Pioneer For American Women During The Contemporary Era1492 Words   |  6 PagesMarch 27, 2012, at the age of 83 in Santa Cruz, CA. Rich will be most remembered for leading women through a great time of change. Adrienne Rich composed literature throughout the Modern Literary era. This literary new age began in the 1940s. Flash fiction, slam poetry, short stories, memoirs, and autobiographies are comprised within this era. Most of the literary works of this time focus on evolution, radical change, and futuristic ideas. The idea that God was dead was widely promoted during the 20thRead More Orphan Stories Essay4714 Words   |  19 PagesOrphan Stories Throughout our lives we move from one story to the next. Whether we are listeners, readers or writers â€Å"we live our lives immersed in stories.’ From the many stories we encounter, both fiction and non-fiction, the orphan figure stands out as one of the most prominent figures in literature. Orphan figures have prevailed in the literary arena for centuries, from ancient poetry, folktales, and myths to modern day novels. This constant reoccurrence of the orphan figure in literatureRead MoreEssay about The Beauty of the Lack of Structure in My Antonia1587 Words   |  7 Pagesstating that the only thing resembling any type of focus seems to be the use of cyclical themes.   For instance, as Miller puts it, the story uses, the cycle of the seasons of the year, the cycle of the stages of human life, and the cycle of the cultural phases of civilization (Bloom, 29), as phases of time to perpetuate themes.   He states that,    The first book of My Antonia, introduces from the start the drama of time in the vivid accounts of the shifting seasons...portraying the terribleRead MoreA World Order By Jhumpa Lahiri2254 Words   |  10 Pagesworld order. In Lahiri’s novel, a world order presents itself where people like Ashoke and Ashima are subconsciously put on the fringes of the mainstream American society, in part by their attitude and approach to the new, almost alien societal and cultural experiences and circumstances and in part by the reaction to their reaction by the world around them. And this is essentially a conflicting world order where there is an intent to adapt to this bewildering newness around while there is equally strongRead MoreThe Quest: An Archetype in Various Cultural Myths Essay2253 Words   |  10 PagesThe Quest Archetype When examining various cultural myths, one archetype keeps repeating—the image of the quest. This archetype functions with various different mythologies as a method of learning about the world, both its external features and what is inside the self. The quest comes from ancient origins and is found in Classical Western culture, but has been fine tuned through the generations. In its most modern interpretations, there are continuing elements of the age old myth, where extenuatingRead MoreAnita Desai, A Modern Indo English Writer Essay3158 Words   |  13 Pageswidely acclaimed not only in India but also in the world of fiction writing. She emerged after independence, deliberating on the highly debatable contemporary issues. Anita Desai is a keen observer of the society and the position of the women in the contemporary society draws her special attention. The novels of Anita Desai are noted for the profound probing into the inner life and feelings of the women, bounded by the s hackles of the middle class. They are the explorations of the family problems, which