Chapter 15 of the book, “Prebles’ Artforms”, explores the earliest sophisticated forms of art which were dated 40,000 years ago. The book describes this period as Pethiloithic Period and it explains that man started making crude stone cutting tools more than 2 million years ago. Human artifacts started showing workmanship evident in Upper Peliolithic era, which were performed by the Homo erectus. Some of the human artifacts that were discovered during this era included Mesolithic and carve carvings. Human beings also made portable arts including beards and figurines in which, decorative figured workings were prevalent in some objects. The Peliolithic era coincided with Stone Age just before man starting herding and practicing agriculture. Other art forms that were evident in the early Neolithic era were pottery and the construction of megalith and sculpture (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 240-245).
In addition, the chapter focuses on Venus of Willendorf, which has also been referred to as the Woman of Willendorf. Made between 25,000 and 28,000 BCE, the Woman of Willendorf is the earliest female figure made by humans and was estimated to be about 11.1 centimeters high. The statuette was found by workman Johann Veran in 1908, during an excavation that was conducted by several archaeologists, including Hugo Orbermaier. The statuette was found in the Paleolitihic site which was within the vicinity of Willendorf, a small village that was located in Austria. The chapter reveals that the Woman of Willendorf statuette was curved from oolistic limestone which, the archaeologist discovered that it was not from the local area. The statuette also had red orchre tints on its surface. Being both female and nude, she perfectly fitted the patriarchal system of construction of art. Woman of Willendorf became the “first woman” curved into a statuette, acquiring Eve identity. Suitably from the patriarchal perspective, she was the captivating reality of the female body. The Woman of Willendorf was seen as a Great Woman Goddess and, the statuette was used by the local people for religious purposes (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 245-246).
Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu is also another ancient art form which was discovered in Iraq, 2,100 BCE.
The art displayed in the Iranian western plateau was temples of massive structures which were constructed in the valley of Mesopotamia. These structures took the shape of terraced-step pyramids; each of the terraces represented a level that carried stories of the people residing near the plateaus. In fact, the terraces represented the hierarchy on gods at different platforms, and they were erected at the centre of each city, state, taking the shape of the rectangle. Sumerians had taken to placing their importance on these platforms and which, had various functions to them. First, the elevated position of Ziggurat represented the elevated relationship with the people of the city. The elevated position was meant to represent the humdrum of everyday life of the Sumerians. Second, the elevated position was believed that it put the priests closer to heaven, allowing them to communicate with the deity through prayer and to deliver the message to the people about his will. Ziggurats were prone to floods and as a measure that was taken by the people, they built them from the skin of fried bricks, set in bitumen mortar. The northwest remains of Ziggurats are believed to be the kitchen of the god. There were foundation deposits of “great cooking pot” which the gods used to prepare their evening meals. It is believed that Ziggurats had a possible inspiration in the construction of the biblical story. The Ziggurats embodied the idea of the “sacred mountains” that acted as a connection between the heaven and Earth (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 247-248).
The chapter also explored the Egyptian art-hieroglyphics, which are dated to be the oldest forms of Egyptian writings that took place around 1450 BCE. Hieroglyphs used symbols to represent objects (such as animals and boats), and ideas (such as joy, time, and motion). The term hieroglyph was used by the Egyptian to represent “sacred carvings”, and they were used to decorate characters which were inscribed on monuments. More so, the Egyptian meaning for the word “hieroglyph” was “the language of gods”. The Egyptians used hieroglyphs to write down prayers, magical texts, and texts which were related to the worshipping of the gods and the life after death. When preparing the tombs, many preferred their autobiographies to written using hieroglyphs so that it would act as their guidance to the afterlife which, were visible on the tombs and on the insides of the coffins. Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs in long lines that flowed from top to bottom and from left to right. These sentences had no spaces in between them. The basic symbols, referred to as glyphs, were divided into two groups: phonograms which symbolized sounds and ideograms which symbolized ideas or objects. These writings were common on the “Tomb of Nebanum” in Thebes, Egypt. Hieroglyphic writing was used express the Egyptian way of life and for entertainment purposes (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 249-255).
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Language is a method of communication between people. At the same time, intelligence is the ability to acquire knowledge and apply it in life’s situations. The application of intelligence can be as a result of a need to solve a problem. In solving the problem, you may need to use your language so as to portray your intelligence in the best way possible in the problem-solving process. Therefore, a correlation exists between language, intelligence and problem-solving. This first part of this paper describes this correlation.
In some cultures and even some religious teachings, language is considered a power. One feature that to a great extent distinguishes human beings from other animals in the creation is language; that they are able to form tangible communications between them. According to Gleitman, Gross and Reisberg (2011, p. 421), language is likened to a medium that allows passage of undistorted thought content from one person to other. There is a connected to the way human beings think. After thinking, the thought, which is a result of intelligence, is conveyed through language. According to Khalfa (1994), human beings are the only species on earth with organized language, and they are in no doubt the most intelligent. This is an agreement of the correlation between language and intelligence.
Language is a very instrumental tool in problem solving. Combined with intelligence, language provides the guidelines through which complex problems are solved. Gleitman et al (2011, p. 416), argues in support of the Whorfian hypotheses that there is a correlation between the language one speaks and their thoughts. This argument corresponds to real life scenarios where orators have been regarded as people of high intelligence. In the world order, also, great problems and tensions between nations have been solved through the power of thetongue.
Part II: attitudes: Emotion and motivation.
Attitudes are the beliefs that we form about other people who surround (Gleitman et al, 2011, P. 514). They are determined by the assumptions we make, about how other people’s behavior should be interpreted. According to Schafer and Trait (1986), attitudes affect our perceived behavior, plus our behavior towards other people.
Attitude change is determined by several factors. One may change their attitudes as a result of persuasion from others. The persuasion by others can be central or peripheral. In central persuasion, we commit time recourse to think of the issue before we change our perception, unlike peripheral persuasion where we don’t give the issue much thought. Another way through which we can change our attitudes is by experience (Gleitman et al, 2011 p. 514). We can stay with people we thought of in a particular manner and later we prove our perceptions wrong. This can make us change the perception we have about them. Another way of changing attitudes is by self-conviction when one suffers cognitive dissonance. This is usually as a result of wanting to align one’s beliefs with colleagues.
Attitudes affect both emotions and motivation. For example, holding a negative belief against another person may make one outpour their emotions on this person. On the contrary, a positive attitude will make one portray positive emotions to the other person. Attitudes also determine motivation. A positive attitude about something that one wants to pursue will add into their motivation to achieve that thing. On the other hand, when one holds a negative attitude towards something, they will not be motivated to achieve them.
Part III: Personality and attitude
Attitude as we defined above focuses of the perceptions and the attitudes that we form about the people we live with. Personality, on the other hand refers to the personal characteristics that lead to behavior patterns that are consistent. Personality is the form of behavior that defines a person, while attitudes refer to behavior, which it may not be consistent and are determined by the perceptions that the person has formed towards a situation or another person. Personality traits and differences between people are determined by heredity and environment. On the contrary, heredity’s influenceis insignificant on attitudes. It is important to note that behavior determined by attitudes is relatively lasting, while behavior determined by personality is long lasting especially if in is hereditary.
Personality is more stable than attitudes. Attitudes can change depending on experiences, self-persuasion, or even persuasion by others (Gleitman et al, 2011; Schafer & Trait, 1996).However, personality that is encrypted in the genetic make-up of an individual is hard to be changed. Only the social aspect can be modified, but the biological aspect will remain the same.
Development has a greater impact on personality than it has on attitudes. The main determinants of personality that if heredity and environment, have a great impact on a person at the early years of the developmental changes. This is the time when the personality of a person is being formed. So, the personality trait that will present through a person’s life will be determined. On the other hand, attitudes are about perceptions. They can be acquired by a person of any age. A person forms these perceptions within themselves. Personality, therefore, determines attitudes, because the type of personality that a person has will determine how they form perceptions about other people.
Part IV: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
This condition explains a person who suffers from anxiety that is difficult to control. The anxiety is usually continuous, pervasive and is not related to any particular cause. It has a lifetime prevalence of about 6% and is relatively common. People suffering from the condition tend to have a lot of anxiety and fear, as if the worst is almost happening to them (Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 2013). To the victims, living itself is anxiety. They seem to be worried about anything. Due to this, most of the m experience comorbidities like blood pressure.
Among the symptoms of GAD include, among others; irritability, pervasive expectation, generalized anxiety and general restlessness. Others includemuscle tension, sleep disturbance and easy fatigability. In the occupation side of it, the victim will display significant distress, worry and anxiety.
Apart from drugs, a multidisciplinary team approach is important in treating this disorder. First, this client should be viewed as a client of mental health. Thinking of psychotherapeutic modalities that will improve the mental health and status of this client is more important than even the drugs. The adverse effect of drugs should be anticipated when administering. The recommended dose by the physician should be adhered to.
Relating this disorder to earlier topics, one may think of the topic on personality and the topic on emotions. The aspect of this person that has been affected is the emotional aspect. Effect on the emotional aspect then touches on personality.
References
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2013). Generalized anxiety disorder. ADAA. Retrieved from http://www.adaa.org/
Gleitman, H., Gross, J., & Reisberg, D. (2011). Psychology (8th ed). Canada: W.W, Norton & Company, Inc.
Khalfa, J. (1994). The role of language in intelligence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schafer, B. R. & Trait, L.J. (1986). Understanding attitude and attitude change. Illinois: USDA.
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