Strategies Used to Strengthen Self-Control - Assignment Example

Seminar Questions

• Is it naive for business leaders to try to be honest?

There is a popular notion that characterizes the modern advanced world that, corporate governance merely involves upholding compliance to company rules and building a brand to manage customers’ perceptions. This is, however, not the case since honesty and integrity in company operations are vital components of organizational culture. These elements are also crucial in nurturing trust amongst different company stakeholders. For these reasons, it is not naïve for leaders to uphold honesty in the course of managing their corporations. Just as Greenspan notes, although many seem to succeed financially through manipulating associates and taking shortcuts, material success is much more satisfactory when achieved without taking advantage of others. The author sums up the importance of honesty among corporate leaders by stating that “The true measure of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded through your own endeavors without leaving a trail of casualties in your wake.” In an environment where financial success has become a priority, upholding transparency is the only way through which corporate leaders can build trust among their associates and ultimately sustain a company.

2. Identify three strategies you use (or recommend) to strengthen self-control.  

Please read and think about this quotation:

"The mind is fickle and flighty, it flies after fancies and whatever it likes; it is difficult indeed to restrain. But it is a great good to control the mind; a mind self-controlled is a source of great joy." --Buddha's Teachings (Penguin Classics, p. 8).

Self-control, alternately referred to as self-discipline is a person’s capacity to keep reactions and impulses in check. Contrary to a common misconception, self-control is neither negative not limiting. Rather, when applied properly, self-control is a crucial self-improvement instrument that would increase one’s chances of succeeding. One of the techniques I would recommend to aid in strengthening self-control is planning ahead and striving to adhere to one’s plan. This would help one to avoid impulsiveness. Secondly, it is advisable for a person to manage stress, which would increase one’s ability to function productively under pressure. Without stress, it would be possible to make decisions in a calm manner instead of overreacting to situations. Another potent approach to building self-control is through postponing a decision, in order to think it through and avoid reacting in a manner that one would regret later. These measures are in line with those proposed by Assagioli in his interview by Keen, including creating ideal visual images of how one would be if they remain self-disciplined, developing a skillful and positive will, as well as, performing daily exercises such as running to manage temper or stress.

3. Please read Book One of the Meditations of Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Then write a concise statement of gratitude (400 words or less) identifying the ethical and intellectual debts you owe to family members, teachers, or friends.

Just like Aurelius, I have had the privilege of being surrounded by inspirational individuals throughout my life and they have all been instrumental in building my character. It is for this reason that I have drafted this statement as a way of expressing my gratitude to all these people.

“To my parents, I am grateful for the strict upbringing that saw them teach me to distinguish right from wrong, all while guiding me through my academic and social life. I now recognize the significance of all the time-outs and other disciplinary measures they took to mold my behaviour. I owe my diligence, self-discipline, and productive relations to them.

“From my father, I took up the habit of working hard out of a sense of duty, as opposed to being pushed to complete tasks assigned to me. I am eternally grateful for it is this lesson that has sustained my commitment to all the endeavors I chose to pursue.”

“To my mother, I am thankful for instilling in me a reading passion that has seen me appreciate various forms of literature, most of which I would not have experienced without her inspiration.”

“To my best friend, I appreciate her friendship that has taught me the essence of trust, integrity, and loyalty in any association. She has shown me the importance of embracing others irrespective of their imperfections, citing that we are all defined by the manner in which we respond to past misdeeds.

“I thank my coach, for instilling the virtues of respect for others and commitment to teamwork in me. He has taught me the significance of being committed to people around me and according them the same treatment I would expect of them.

4. For Lincoln, learning how to persevere also meant learning how to adapt. Based on your reading of Shenk's article, please identify three of Lincoln's most successful adaptation strategies (skills, habits, or ways of thinking) that helped him use his struggle with depression to accomplish worthy goals. 

According to Shenk, Lincoln’s depression prompted him, albeit painfully, to evaluate the person he was in an in depth manner. His hard work despite the constant sadness enabled him to acquire crucial capabilities and skills that made him one of America’s most influential presidents. Firstly, Lincoln acknowledged his fears. Acceptance of this fact that his life was full of misery allowed him to work intently on bettering himself. Secondly, as Shenk points out, Lincoln engaged with the prevailing psychological culture thus focusing on finding out the person that he was, how he could change and things that he must bear. The thought that he would not achieve his dream of making memorable impact on society, he worked hard on self-improvement, self-discipline, and self-understanding, all of which built his character and facilitated his eventual success. Finally, Lincoln was able to rise above his depression by applying his endurance, creative skills developed over time in response to adverse situations, and humility, to guide America through abolishing slavery and other significant achievements.

5. The Declaration of Independence refers to the ''pursuit of happiness.'' Should the word ''pleasure'' be substituted for ''happiness''? Why/why not? Explain your answer.

I think it would not be appropriate to substitute the word happiness with pleasure in The Declaration of Independence. This is because the importance of seeking happiness is the basis of the country’s liberty. Happiness in this case, also represents true universal satisfaction, as opposed to pleasure, which is associated with personal interests. Pursuit of pleasure would imply that individuals’ focus solely on their satisfaction without giving much thought to the repercussions that their search for pleasure, often material, has on the rest of society. Overall, happiness refers to the satisfaction of all. Therefore, the stronger the ties that people have on the pursuance of universal happiness for the greater good, the more they are likely to be free from selfish pursuits.

6. Please read this decision by the Iowa Supreme Court in an attorney discipline case and answer these four questions:

[a] Should judges care if attorneys submit legal briefs or written motions that are plagiarized? Please explain your answer.

Judges should be concerned if lawyers submit plagiarized written motions or legal briefs. To begin with, plagiarism occurs when a person presents words or ideas of another author as their own. This means that by its fundamental nature, plagiarism is detrimental to the judicial process meant to serve justice, since there is a possibility that the eventual court decision will be mistakably plagiarized. In addition, plagiarism by an attorney can distort the meaning of an argument. This can happen when a lawyer directs the court to believe that the copied information is a product of his or her thinking, instead of an unpaid non-partisan, whose initial analysis would possibly have helped the other party in a case. For example, in the Iowa case, Attorney Cannon had removed passages he deemed unfavorable to his argument, which means he could have misled the court in the eventual decision making had the plagiarism not been detected. Most importantly, plagiarism violates the Model Rule 8.4, which forbids “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” amongst lawyers.

[b] Attorney Peter Cannon was punished by the court and by the attorney disciplinary board. Do you think these punishments (taken as a whole) were too lenient, too severe, or about right? Please explain your answer.

Punishment imposed on attorney Peter Cannon was just about right. This is because the lawyer had committed an offense that was proven to amount to misrepresentation, which is not only illegal, but also goes against attorneys’ code of ethical conduct. Extensive copying of another person’s work almost to the letter without acknowledgment, coupled with exclusion of unfavorable paragraphs, and personal admission of guilt are clear indicators of the defender’s culpability. However, Cannon had not charged his client an exorbitant fee for the legal brief and he had not made efforts to conceal his wrongdoing. He also waived previously imposed fees and even paid another attorney to represent his client. For these reasons, the disciplinary measure, that is, public reprimand, was neither too severe nor too lenient since his misdeeds were moderated by his subsequent actions demonstrating remorse.

[c] The Iowa Supreme Court referred to another case involving attorney plagiarism (Iowa Supreme Court Board of Professional Ethics & Conduct v. Lane). In that case, the punishment for attorney Lane (suspension of his license to practice) was more severe than the punishment imposed on attorney Cannon. What distinction did the court make between these two cases?  Do you agree with the court’s reasoning? Please explain your answer.

In Iowa Supreme Court Board of Professional Ethics & Conduct v. Lane, the court imposed the severe 6 month license suspension on the defendant because he committed plagiarism and proceeded to attempt hiding this wrongdoing from the court. Additionally, unlike in Cannon’s case, attorney Lane imposed excessive charges on the client. The court’s justification of the punishment is reasonable because Lane’s actions show that he was not willing to accept his mistake. The tendency to be unapologetic further shows Lane’s disregard for the law and capability to repeat the same offense in future. These considerations make the more severe punishment justifiable.

[d] The state of Florida requires “personal appearances before the [disciplinary] board for public reprimands for disciplined lawyers” [italics added]. Do you think this kind of public shaming is appropriate or too harsh? Please explain your answer.

Public shaming for disciplined lawyers is appropriate. This is because it draws attention to the offenses that individuals expected to enforce the law are capable of committing. It also serves as a cautionary example for other attorneys, who might think that they would commit certain crimes and not get exposed or simply face mild punishments. Most importantly, such punishment serves as an act of good faith to members of the public, by showing that even individuals with legal expertise cannot manipulate the law to their advantage or go above it. Overall, exposure for disciplinary purposes would dissuade other lawyers from repeating similar misconducts.

7. What advice do you have for your fellow students about the best way to avoid committing an act of academic dishonesty? 

The first step that students should take toward avoiding academic deceit is to be fully informed about every professor’s principles for academic integrity. They should strive to gain such information at the beginning of every course, in order to avoid cheating unknowingly. Students should also keenly observe class rules that govern team and individual work. This is because if instructors deem it inappropriate to work together on projects, teamwork could be termed as cheating. In addition to abiding by academic integrity guidelines, learners should seek instructors’ guidance whenever in doubt about honest completion of assignments. Most importantly, when doing an assignment using documented research, students should make sure that they cite the sources, so to as to acknowledge and give credit to respective authors.

8. Please review the assigned excerpts from An Anatomy of Life in the Death Camps by Terrence Des Pres. Kindly respond to this question:

"Does Terrence Des Pres think the human moral sense is an idealistic illusion or an evolutionary survival strategy?"

Terrence Des Pres seems to support the idea that human moral sense is more of an evolutionary survival strategy than an idealistic illusion. This implies that people often tend to uphold moral decency as a way of adapting to the prevailing situation. According to the scholar, the instincts to help each other and maintain ethical uprightness emerge especially during crises. Perception of human moral sense as a survival strategy is effectively demonstrated under paragraph 7, which explicitly stipulates that "Nature itself--by which I mean the system of living creatures--guards against dissolution and chaos; not through control by government . . . but through the emergence, during times of prolonged crisis, of structures of behavior whose purpose is to maintain the social basis of life."

Please explain your answer, agreeing or disagreeing with Des Pres' analysis. Cite at least one of the numbered paragraphs for support.

9. How is a good life defined, and what is your plan to achieve it? Please refer to the assigned readings (above) to support your answers.

A good life is one where a person is happily contented and achievement of this satisfaction did not involve exploiting or offending others. Such a life, as noted by Greenspan, is characterised by virtues like honesty and transparency. A good life is further defined by self-discipline, as stipulated by Buddha teachings; a self-controlled mind is a source of immense joy. The latter notion is further supported by Keen’s interview with Assagioli. I plan to live a good life through drawing ethical lessons from diverse situations, striving to endure and work diligently toward betterment not just of self, but that of society in its entirety, as well as, seeking to uphold morality when dealing with other people or using their creative works.