James T. Johnson was a young man who had a good job working as a construction worker. Although, he had a job and worked every day he still lived at home with his mother. Furthermore, he was the type of young man who went to work on time and after work he would come home. Unfortunately, there were occasions where he would go out with a few of his co-workers on a Friday he still came home afterwards. Nevertheless, he was hiding a secret from his mother that later led to him being arrested. Now, rather than James uses his money he had earned from working, he burglarized homes and garages in the communities in his area. After burglarizing these homes he would then sell the items he had stolen via the internet or a pawn shop in two different counties. …show more content…
Unknown, to James at this point he did not realize that he was having a problem with a psychological theory called behaviorism. Now this theory is one that is saying human behavior is developed through learning experiences which in this case would apply to James. His behavior as an adult was reflected by the way he was treated as a kid by his father and mother because they fought all the time. They never truly paid any attention to him, which in terms taught him how to stay out of their way and learn how to steal and burglarize places without getting caught. Therefore, within the psychological theory of behaviorism Behaviorists saw crime as something that is a learned response to life’s situations such as James situation which led him to a life of crime because of his parents. Although, he was never truly mistreated, he did not receive his father attention due to the fact of the way his father was treated as a child growing up an abusive household. Therefore, he did not want to place his son in the same situation. There is also the fact that James could be suffering from the psychodynamic theory which says that a person’s personality can be controlled by their unconscious mental process and that is grounded in them in early childhood. These entire things such as the id, ego, and superego …show more content…
He would not have to worry about being like his father and drinking all of the time as well as worry about if he does in fact drink and argue with their mother hitting his kids because he is angry. As people grow in the world they learn from the people who are close to them. Therefore, if his father had received the necessary help he needed at an early age, then James would have never found himself in the situation he was in. There is also the fact that he would not have to worry about someday placing his kids in an unhealthy environment due to the fact that he was not in a stable home setting. Furthermore, unless he makes a change in his life and realizes the mistakes his father made and learn from them this cycle of life within his family will continue on until one day some decides that enough is
First of all, James cares for Isaac during times that can be dangerous. James would hold Isaac’s hand while crossing the street, and feel very sorry to hurt him by accident. “I hold Isaac’s hand as we cross the street”. Also, “‘Aw, Isey,’ I say. ‘I’m sorry. Are you OK?’”. This evidence shows that James cares for Isaac because, he wants him to be safe. Isaac could have been in great danger, walking across the street by himself could lead to a car accident. In addition, if James had never noticed that Isaac fell over and got hurt, he would be left outside with nobody to help. James had helped only Isaac in that situation, and did not mind his friends. This evidence is logical because, only brothers that are caring would help each other, and would not ignore them when they are in need. This also shows why James admires family more than friends.
It causes a drift into their family and it influenced James from then on out. A few months after he died, everything changed. James writes, “She sent us off to school and tried to maintain her crazy house as usual, ranting about this and that, but the fire was gone. In the evening, she often sat at the kitchen table completely lost in thought” (137). When Ruth becomes lost in her own world, her behavior influences James. They both grieved for his death in different ways yet, his mothers grieve influenced him the most. Seeing her slowly fall apart was too much for James. He started skipping school, shoplifting, hanging with the wrong crowd, and he eventually became addicted to smoking reefer or drinking alcohol. Slowly, James is sinking into a hole he can't climb out of with all of his bad decisions. On an afternoon, after James nearly dies, he talks with chicken man, “Everybody on the corner is smart. You ain't no smarter than anybody here. If you so smart, why got to come on this corner every summer? ‘Cause you flunking school! You think if you drop out of school somebody's gonna beg you to g back? Hell no. They won't beg your black ass to go back. What makes you so special that they'll beg you! Who are you? You ain't nobody! If you want to drop out of school and shoot people ad hang on this corner all your life, go ahead, it's your life” (150). After James spoke with Chicken
He had no previous knowledge about his mother’s past. Therefore, he did not know whether or not he was black or white. I predict that James will go to Suffolk to uncover his mother’s past. It is the only way he can truly figure out his identity.
At the beginning, James doesn't allow others to sense any form of his weaknesses. He preferably let the world see him that he is tough and can take care of himself. The character of James makes me realize that we all have stories to tell about even if it is the war between you and your demons that you had encountered, may encounter or will encounter. I don't want others to see my weaknesses to make his/her own judgment about who I am. But somehow that opinions made you think about who are you in their perspective or point of
Both James and his mother Ruth struggled to find their cultural identities. Growing up Ruth hid her past from her children; as a result, James suffered struggling to stay afloat to find his identity. It was not until James became a young adult that his mother chose to paint the true picture of her rough past, helping James accept who he is and understand where he came from.
I believe had he not had the determination to succeed in his life, he would not be where he is today. We have learned that our own individual personality can drive our sense of direction. The choices James made during his childhood were not his fault, he did not have the parental guidance during his developmental stage. Amazingly, he conquered all obstacles to become successful. References Boeree, C. G. (1997).
This paper will provide an explanation into how differential association theory explains burglary. Burglary, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I), considers a property crime a Type 1 Index Crime because of its potentially violent nature. The F.B.I. breaks burglary down into three sub classifications. This paper discusses the elements of the crime of burglary and what constitutes a structure or dwelling. It will discuss a brief history of the deviance, trends and rates, and how it correlates to the specific theory that this paper will also discuss.
Even when he finds out that he has to pay more than expected, and with more unexpected events he always says this. He wants to do his best for his family. However, after more misfortune his outlook becomes more warped, as he longer sees America as a land of opportunity but instead a terrible system that chews people up (Sinclair 160-161). Lastly, as he becomes poor and crippled once more, he decides to stick by the last of his family. They give him a new source of happiness in the dire times that he is tine. However when things went wrong he also went to Socialist movement meetings. As his family progressively suffered more and more under an oppressive environment, he changed views progressively over the story (Sinclair 325). James from the very start is shown to be a family oriented person, as he comes home to his loving family. During the great depression his family is forced to move into a much smaller home. He believes very strongly that he will do what’s best to change his family’s life for the better. To support this statement is one of his famous quotes, “I have to believe that when things are bad I can change them”. Unlike Jurgis who blames the “capitalistic system” for his family’s tribulation, James takes full responsibility when his stock investment flopped. He says to himself that he made a poor investment. Eventually he gains another job opportunity as a boxer and builds his
...r but Octavia tells him "You not a bum," she says. "You a man."(p.404) This is significant because it shows he is not seen as a young boy by his mother anymore, he is now seen as a man. We see the influence and change in James by all of the life lessons his mother instills in him, she tells him he needs to not cry, to be strong, and be able to stand alone symbolizes that he must be independent, he must also put others before himself and do things he may not like to do but must do as a necessity to live, such as killing the cardinal birds for supper. Helena also shows James that everything in life you must work for, that is why she tells him to take out the trash cans.
To begin with, James wants to be normal. In other words, James says “I want books about people like me”(Pg.7). He wants to find a way to fix his problem. James hopes there is some kind of operation, to fix his height. In conclusion, James wants to be normal.
James was an authoritarian parent. He was controlling, in-charge and no one questioned him. He would play the role of the doting father. When his children made mistakes, he made a point to criticize them. He often compared them to other kids that he felt were “more perfect.” When his often unspoken expectations were not met he would yell and scream striking fear into his entire family. “He’s not a warm, fuzzy kind of guy, and he’s not going to inspire feelings of intimacy. But when his system works, he can boast about one thing: His recruits tend to obey” (Dewar).
James is a 20 year old university student who moved to Auckland University in an attempt to gain recognition from his parents after coming out as homosexual. After moving to Auckland University, James reported experiencing chronic low moods, and as a result of this was then referred to his GP by the University Counselling service.
Right of the bat, James comes to a realization that life can be a rough road. For example, James sees a kitten in the woods all alone. But on top of that, the kitten is half dead. He feels instant sympathy for the poor little kitten. Another example from the text states , ‘ Don't worry,’ “I tell it rubbing its scaly head…” (P.1) This shows that James is instantly connecting with the cat, because he has more so much sympathy that when he sees this little kitten half dead, he can't help but to feel bad. For instance when he brings this little kitten home even his strict mom had some sympathy for the cat, because the cat was in such bad condition. Which was a surprise for me because of how they portrayed the
For James, emotions play an important role in decision making. James believes your emotions are what set you apart from other people. No one is going to have the exact same views as you, which makes you unique. “Moral questions immediately present themselves as questions whose solution cannot wait for a sensible proof” (James, 117). What this quote basically means is when you faced with a hard decision that needs an immediate answer, your emotions will guide you to the decision you make. Because of this I feel if James was faced with weather capital punishment is right or wrong he would agree with it. If someone kills another person, James would say you would immediately feel that that person should die himself based on your emotions. Seeing James relies on emotions, people’s decision regarding capita...
James bears responsibility for the other and rejects narcissism. He does this by making decisions to corrects others wrong, not for his on self interest. His involvement in MSF allows him to provide medical assistance to those whom have suffered because of others misguided ways. James does not point figures and blame others but tries to fix the situation to the best of his ability.