Berger and Luckmanns View of the Socially Constructed Reality

The idea that the reality is socially constructed is supported with many concepts discussed by Berger and Luckmann in their work The Social Construction of Reality. Berger and Luckmann’s view is based on the analysis of the notions of knowledge and recipe knowledge along with the reciprocal roles, on the concepts and constructs, language as the necessary aspect of the objectification, the processes and phenomena of institutionalisation, habitualisation, socialisation, internalisation, and externalisation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Berger and Luckmann’s View of the Socially Constructed Reality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Berger and Luckmann, reality is socially constructed because it is formed with references to the social knowledge and developed concepts which are distributed because of the people’s interactions. Thus, people operate the common concepts in which the de finite knowledge is reflected (Calhoun et al. 2002). People form their reality with references to the commonsense, customs, and habits. The common ideas, values, processes, and notions are habitualised and then institutionalised, making the base for the people’s reality which becomes socially constructed. Thus, Berger and Luckmann state that â€Å"all human activity is subject to habitualisation. Any action that is repeated frequently becomes cast into a pattern† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 53). As a result, the habitualised actions and processes are institutionalised within the society as the definite constructs. To understand the specifics of Berger and Luckmann’s view according to the socially constructed reality along with determining its strengths and weaknesses, it is necessary to evaluate the relevance of using such notions as objectification, internalisation, externalisation, habitualisation, institutionalisation, socialisation, and ‘recipe knowledg e’ as important ones to explain the idea of the reality which is presented by Berger and Luckmann as socially constructed. Many researchers and sociologists support Berger and Luckmann’s view that reality is socially constructed according to the idea’s general implications, but provide a lot of additional research in relation to the concepts used by Berger and Luckmann in their discussion and details (Remmling 1973). Thus, Strauss concentrates on the idea that Berger and Luckmann’s view in relation to the social construction of reality should be discussed as â€Å"a supra-individual endeavour† (Strauss 2009, p. 229). This opinion can be considered as relevant because of the large context within which Berger and Luckmann discuss the individual in relation to the society and objective reality. In spite of the fact Berger and Luckmann intend to support their position in relation to the social construction and socially constructed reality with a lot of theoretical argumentation, many researchers concentrate on the points which are not included in the discussion of the socially constructed reality.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, Turner pays attention to the fact that Berger and Luckmann are inclined to avoid claims â€Å"to have identified the directional principle or the end point of change, or to have identified some circumstance or realm in which reality was not â€Å"socially constructed† (Turner 1991, p. 22). That is why, there are a lot of aspects regarding the social theory and social constructionism which can be discussed with references to Berger and Luckmann’s view. However, Turner’s approach to discussing Berger and Luckmann’s view of the socially constructed reality can be considered as rather objective because the researcher focuses on all the aspects of Berger and Luckmann†™s work and determine the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. As it was mentioned, the theory of social constructionism is based on the correlation of the notions of subjectivity, objectivity and objectification, internalisation, and externalisation. It is important to concentrate on the meaning of objectification for constructing the people’s reality. Objectification is necessary to share the knowledge and to construct the reality round the people. Objectification is usually the result of people’s discussing the objects with the help of definite signs and symbols. In this case, the role of language is significant. However, the process of objectification does not provide people with the vision of the objective reality because it is not the â€Å"part of the ‘nature of things’†, and the objective reality can exist and develop as the â€Å"product of human activity† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 52). It is also important to pay attention to the fact that the reality of definite social groups can be discussed as different because of the particular features of their perceiving the world objects and sharing the knowledge about them. The concepts and constructs about the reality depend on the language and symbols used to distribute the definite knowledge within the group. Thus, Berger and Luckmann accentuate that the common knowledge shared by the definite social group forms the social reality and refer to the role of the language in the process as the means for objectification. According to Berger and Luckmann, â€Å"an understanding of language is thus essential for any understanding of the reality of everyday life† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 37). Furthermore, this understanding is associated with developing the socially recognised concepts and constructs. From this point, it is necessary to refer to the idea of constructs. Embree agrees with Berger and Luckmann’s vision that constructs and concepts are ref lected in the words which are used by people to define this or that object according to their perception of the object and the further habitualisation of this vision of the object by the public.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Berger and Luckmann’s View of the Socially Constructed Reality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, constructs become recognisable for the public because they reproduce the people’s common vision of definite object (Embree 2009). This idea can be discussed as the supportive one to analyse the reality in relation to the social construction proposed by Berger and Luckmann. Berger and Luckmann’s main idea is presented in the statement that the everyday reality is socially constructed because it is based on the everyday social interactions with the help of which people can share their knowledge, visions of values, customs, and concepts. Wallace does not argue this notion in the work, but provides the discussion of the theory accentuating its major ideas and aspects. The reality is constructed when the process of institutionalisation of the practice and knowledge is based on habitualisation and objectification. Wallace states that â€Å"the creation of a new institution occurs in the moment of externalisation; once externalised, it is objectified, and once objectified, it acts back on the individual as an internalised entity† (Wallace 1988, p. 33). Thus, the reality is socially constructed not only because of the dependence on the shared common knowledge as a result of the social interactions but also because of the fact the knowledge is developed with references to some processes such as habitualisation and objectification. Then, the knowledge becomes institutionalised, and it forms the reality which can be discussed as socially constructed. In their work, Berger and Luckmann also pay much attention to the discussion of the process of the pe rson’s socialisation as the important factor to become the part of the society and, as a result, to operate within the objective reality. According to Berger and Luckmann, an individual becomes the member of society after becoming familiar with the definite language to share the knowledge, and the successful socialisation is the â€Å"establishment of a high degree of symmetry between objective and subjective reality† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 163). The socially constructed reality discussed by Berger and Luckmann is rather objective because it is based on the socially adopted concepts, customs, and ideas (Holstein Gubrium 2008). Operating the notions of the social construction and constructed reality, Berger and Luckmann refer to the idea that the â€Å"social world is a human product† which is later reflected in Tulloch’s discussion (Tulloch 1976, p. 198).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tulloch provides some points to support the opinion that the constructed reality actually depends on the correlation of externalisation, objectification, and internalisation as it was claimed by Berger and Luckmann (Tulloch 1976). That is why, it is possible to state that Berger and Luckmann have many arguments to support their vision of the reality and explain it with references to the theoretical background and everyday practice as it is presented in the researchers’ work. To assess the deepness of Berger and Luckmann’s discussion and theory, it is important to focus on the concept of the ‘recipe knowledge’. In their book, Berger and Luckmann develop the concept of the ‘recipe knowledge’ basically, paying more attention to this concept as associated with the process of rationalising the life of people and constructing their everyday reality. On the contrary, Shaffer states that it is necessary to develop the idea of the ‘recipe knowled ge’ with determining the basic types of it. It is possible to determine ‘simple recipes’ and ‘standardised recipes’ which differ according to situations in which they are used. From this point, ‘standardised recipes’ are more effective to make the human life more rationalised. Shaffer states that â€Å"recipes are the principal tool for accomplishing the rationalization of any area of human endeavour† (Shaffer 2010, p. 58). In his research, Shaffer goes far beyond Berger and Luckmann’s vision of the ‘recipe knowledge’ and state that recipe knowledge refers to â€Å"the attempt to transfer practical abilities or â€Å"knowhow† from a skilled or knowledgeable performer to a novice by offering step-by-step directions in terms that are familiar to the novice and by utilizing behaviors already within the repertoire of the novice† (Shaffer 2010, p. 56). Moreover, Berger and Luckmann focus on the fact th at reality is socially constructed using the notion of ‘recipe knowledge’ directly to support their idea. The researchers stress, â€Å"since everyday life is dominated by the pragmatic motive, recipe knowledge, that is, knowledge limited to pragmatic competence in routine performance, occupies a prominent place in the social stock of knowledge† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 42). The recipe knowledge contributes to the development of the people’s reciprocal roles and social constructs to form the everyday reality of the definite group of people. Berger and Luckmann claim that recipe knowledge â€Å"serves as a channelling, controlling force in itself, and indispensable ingredient of the institutionalisation of this area of conduct† (Berger Luckmann 1967, p. 66). As a result, recipe knowledge is the necessary part of the reality as formed with references to the social construction along with such processes as objectification and institutionalisation. R eference List Berger, P Luckmann, T 1967, The social construction of reality: a treatise in the sociology of knowledge, Doubleday, USA. Calhoun, C, Gerteis, J, Moody, J, Pfaff, S, Virk, I 2002, Contemporary sociological theory, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Embree, L 2009, â€Å"Phenomenology and social constructionism: constructs for political identity†, Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, vol. 40 no. 2, pp. 127-139. Holstein, J Gubrium, J 2008, Handbook of constructionist research, Guilford Press, USA. Remmling, G 1973, Towards the sociology of knowledge: origin and development of a sociological thought style, Taylor Francis, USA. Shaffer, L 2010, â€Å"Beyond Berger and Luckmann’s concept of ‘Recipe Knowledge’: simple versus standardized recipes†, Sociological Viewpoints, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 55-63. Strauss, D 2009, â€Å"The (social) construction of the world – at the crossroads of Christianity and Humanism†, South African Jou rnal of Philosophy, vol. 28 no. 2, pp. 222-233. Tulloch, J 1976, â€Å"Sociology of knowledge and the sociology of literature†, Journal of Sociology, vol. 27 no. 2, pp. 197-210. Turner, S 1991, â€Å"Social constructionism and social theory†, Sociological Theory, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 22-33. Wallace, L 1988, â€Å"Catholic women and the creation of a new social reality†, Gender and Society, vol. 2 no. 1, pp. 24-38. This essay on Berger and Luckmann’s View of the Socially Constructed Reality was written and submitted by user Kelvin Best to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Deviant Behavior †Psychology Essay

Deviant Behavior – Psychology Essay Free Online Research Papers In the United States attending school is expected. Public schools do not cost anything because everything is paid by the state. Children do not wear uniforms and the state takes care of the books and transportation. The only thing the family has to provide is school supplies, which generally do not cost much. In the United States, the parents contribute to the income, and children must be taken care of and prepare them for the future so they can do the same. This is different in the third world countries. Parents do not encourage or school is not required for children. Unfortunately the resources for education are not available in most third world countries. Children contribute to income and they start at a very young age. If education is available, the income they receive is for survival and school fees may be too much for a family to provide. In the United States in most states, parents are required to place their children in school or they may have their children removed from their custody. So for some parts of the world education is a privilege while others focus on just the labor of their everyday life to survive. Deviant behavior is usually not taken so harsh if the crime is committed by someone with powerful status. There are usually distinction between the powerful and the less powerful. Usually the penalties are more severe for a poor person, such as dealing drugs, or possession of narcotics compared to a person who is of powerful status. Many actors constantly get caught with possession of some sort of drugs and they never go to jail, if they do it is for 24 hours. The media saves this famous people committing these crimes. If an unknown person is caught with the same drugs, same situation, this person will do jail time. Also the treatment in jails is different for powerful or famous person compared to an unknown poor person. Money allows separation, in all factors. Research Papers on Deviant Behavior - Psychology EssayThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Project Management - Essay Example This fact clearly suggests that at the time of procurement, project managers did not clearly defined the exact needs of the project. Based on wrong assessment of the same, the system appeared to work on wrong footings as what was expected out of the system was not clearly delivered. It was therefore believed that the project failed because project managers failed to clearly anticipate the needs and solicit the correct vendors to implement the project. The vendors were probably either not as professionals as they should have been in developing the payroll processing system or the information to them was not correctly provided. This resulted into the cancellation of the project as well as it cost a lot of money to the organization because of the loose credit management as well as the wrong procurement polices because there was no clear strategy being developed by the project managers. (Washington Times, 2005) I believe that there were multiple issues involved in this project's failure. Initially it attracted the criticism of the employees working over there therefore at first stage, it failed to achieve the necessary acceptability within the organization. The issues were further complicated when the project managers failed to properly prepare the strategy for implementing effective contract as well as procurement management for the project. If project managers have given a good thought to the solicitation stage of procurement, it would have been lot better and the project would have been a success. 2) Department of Defense initiated a project in 2002 with the name of Personnel Management Key solution. The perceived objectives were to obtain efficiency in different functional areas such as organizational structures, personnel administration and leave, career management as well as work force planning etc. Many believed that it was a bigger project for a military organization however it started with lot of ambitions and hopes to accomplish something bigger for the organization which was termed as too administrative and bureaucratic in nature. The major reason for the failure of the project was cost overrun. Initially it was estimated that the total project cost would be $ 25 million in 2002 however as the project unfolded the cost rocketed to $70 million dollars forcing the project managers to abandon the project in the middle due to high cost variations and other factors which led to the cancellation of the project. However, a much deeper analysis of the issue would suggest that there were other factors which were directly responsible for the failure of the project. Initially it may be considered that the project managers have properly planned the procurement as well as contract management strategy however they were not. Though the whole details of the project are not available but the cost escalation suggests that the type of contract entered by the project managers may not have been adequately selected. It seems that the project managers may have selected actual cost reimbursement contracts where they became legally obliged to pay or reimburse all the costs to the vendors regardless of the need to assess that the cost overruns can also be caused because of the vendor's inability to provide the desired goods and services at the agreed contractual terms. If the project managers would have entered into a fixed pay contract, they could have

Proseminar On the frontier of Islam.. What role does culture play in Essay

Proseminar On the frontier of Islam.. What role does culture play in the travelers' encounter with a new religion - Essay Example ne that has been adopted in today’s world and the differences in the perception of what the Christian culture ‘thinks’ they have done in the past or they are doing today and the effect of the same on the culture and the relationship between people living as a community. We will also see how the world culture patronizes cultures of varied hues just for the sake of intellect and society. Travel through various countries and lands always invariably bring in the multifarious dimensions of the land traveled on. Cultures vary; practices vary; the way religions are practices also varies. The communication gap between the prophet and the today’s follower has increased to a great extent and on more than one occasion, the teachings of the prophet has been forgotten or not understood or worse still, not read at all. More or less this happens to be the case with the Christian and other Pagan religions as well. In the Medieval Eurasia and Africa, the clash of the religions was substantial high. This was reflected in the words of the Leo the African traveler on more than one occasion. Leo, as a Muslim started his run away from his birthplace, Grenada since he was chased out by the Christian capturers of Grenada. His journey went through Morocco and Egypt which happen to be Muslim and the difficulties he faces are minimal. Though, his adventures do invoke interest in the reader. Until, he falls into the hands of a set of Christian Pirates who take him as a prisoner for and on behalf of the Pope. He was a made a slave of the Pope. Travel in the Medieval world or on the threshold of the Modern world was very precarious particularly traveling into another country which had a different religion as its practice. In the early twentieth century, this clash had reached a crescendo. For instance, the Russians did not have any religion to support as a matter of fact, they were against the practice of any religion and hence there was an immense gap between the people who

Developing a Shared Vision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Developing a Shared Vision - Essay Example g the healthcare industry, healthcare leaders are changing and adjusting to new measures to enable them lead the healthcare organizations they are leading. Healthcare leaders in the modern healthcare industry face a vast array of challenges, from layoffs because of reducing revenues, staff shortages, re - organization in response to merging of consolidation services, poor job satisfaction rates resulting in Turnover to poor performance outcomes leading to a reduction in Medicare Reimbursement Dollars. In the past, healthcare leaders have not faced so many issues as now. Due to these issues, healthcare leaders have resulted to certain skills, individual features and leadership features to enable them mitigate the challenges faced. As the manger of an ancillary service department at a large, 500 + bed hospital, several challenges have affected the ancillary service department. These challenges include staff shortage and layoffs due to declining revenues. This paper describes a proposal directed to staff to address the two issues. Staffs are a vital component of a healthcare’s system unit. Hence, it is important to keep them informed regarding issues that are affecting the hospital so that they are not caught off guard on mitigation measures put in place by the hospital’s management to solve the challenges. Informing staff makes them feel part of the hospital. It boosts their morale in spite of the challenges. The hospital faces two challenges that are staff shortage and layoffs due to reducing revenues. These challenges are not a call to panic or give up. However, they are a call to unity, cohesiveness and adaptation in order to overcome them as valuable contributors to the day-to-day running of the hospital and healthcare in the country. As you all know, both of these challenges are not unique to the hospital. They are nationwide issues. However, as a hospital, the management would like to take its own initiative to mitigate these issues. Staff shortage in

Human Resource practices in Grameen Phone Company

Human Resource practices in Grameen Phone Company 3.1 HR at Grameen Phone-HR management is about managing people in organizations as effectively as possible for the good of the employees, the company, and society. In GP managing human resources is becoming more and more important to the success of all divisions of the company. With the honest and coordinated effort, HR plays a key role in realizing the vision and strategic direction of the company. In the contribution of GP, the HR Team is a beautiful blend of bright, innovative, enthusiastic and professional members. The entire HR team has had excellent drive to translate concepts into reality. Thus, in within a short period they have accomplished so many successes in the arena of employee benefit and recognition at home and abroad. HR has very actively participated and sponsored HR conferences and meetings in Bangladesh. Thus they are contributing to the uplift of Human Resources in Bangladesh. They are looking forward to be corporate member of Bangladesh Society for Human Resourc e Management (BSHPM).This indicates that they would like to be a part of the professional institution building for HR in Bangladesh. Moreover, the HR division has launched the HR News which has started its journey from May2000 is also another Employee Development initiative. Thus, overall HR of GP is moving forward and playing even stronger role in every year by upholding the team spirit and harmonizing interdepartmental relationship. Human Resources (HR) Department, an important part of Administration Division plays very vital role in the total functioning of Grameen Phone Employee recruitment, selection, transfer, promotion, training, performance appraisal all these are conducted by HR division. The informal structure of HR according to its functions can be classified into three main categories they are: u ma Human Resource Management (HRM) Human Resource Development (HRD) Human Resource management Information system (HR- MIS) Human Resource practices in Grameen Phone Company 3.2 Human resource planning Effective human resource planning (HRP) can be one of the most rewarding aspects of work in human resource management. Effective planning can enhance the success of the organization while minimizing the amount of suffering resulting from poorly anticipated labor surpluses or shortages. In the line of business plan, HRP at GP starts. HRP is tagged with business Plan such as potential investment, subscribers, market shares etc. There is a strong correlation between subscriber and employees requirement. 3.3 Demand of Human Resource Forecasting of Human Resource Demand is done fully on Judgment. The method in this respect used is bottom-up forecasting. Each unit, branch or department estimates its own future need for employees. The sum of the estimated unit needs is the demand forecast for the whole organization 3.4 Mission, Vision, Objectives Strategies of Grameen Phone Company Vision Ideas that Simplify CompanyMission The vision will be achieved by Connecting Bangladesh with ease and care Being user-friendly Providing value for money Providing simple and timely connections Having a right and understandable process Objectives and Mission of the Grameen Phone The objectives of HR at GP are: To be strategic business partner with the line managers. To create an attractive work environment. HR missions at GP are: To attract, develop and retain qualified employees so that they can contribute to business goal. To create an environment which facilitates are effective performance and enhances employee morale and satisfaction. Grameen Phones basic strategy is the coverage of both urban and rural areas. The Company has devised its strategies so that it earns healthy returns for its shareholders and at the same time, contributes to genuine development of the country. In short, it pursues a dual strategy of good business and good development. Serving the mass market is one of GPs primary goals. By serving the general public as opposed to niche markets, the Company plans to achieve economies of scale and healthy profits. At the same time, service to the general public means connectivity to a wider population and general economic development of the country. In contrast to the island strategy followed by some companies, which involves connecting isolated islands of urban coverage through transmission links, Grameen Phone builds continuous coverage, cell after cell. While the intensity of coverage may vary from area to area depending on market conditions, the basic strategy of cell-to-cell coverage is applied throughout Grameen Phones network. In addition, GP has positioned itself to capitalize on the declining prices of handsets, making its goal to serve the general public realistic. Company Strategy Grameen Phone follows strategies at three levels. Those are described below: Functional Level Strategy Grameen Phones focus is on efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness. This enables Grameen Phone to earn competitive advantage over the competitors. Business Level Strategy Grameen Phone mainly applies cost leadership strategy. In addition, they also apply differentiation strategy as their business level strategy. Corporate Level Strategy Grameen Phone follows related diversification as their corporate level strategy. It enables them to keep the cost lower. 3.5 Supply of Human Resource Manpower planning is an important function of HR management section. Two major activities in this function are: Planning and forecasting the organizations short-term and long-term human resource requirements. Analyzing the jobs in the organization and determining skills and abilities that are needed. Grameen Phone has both internal and external supply of labor force. 3.5.1 Internal Supply The HR department maintains a strong HRIS for internal supply. It keeps all types of employee data ranging from skill inventory to selection out. For senior level post, they hire internally in most of the case. For senior level position, they are some times from external source. They maintain replacement chart as a part of succession planning. 3.5.2 External Supply HR division has policy to manage labor supply externally such as: Online recruitment policy to attract people from outside as well. Use the temporaries with the help of their HRIS. Rehire the retired person: they have few examples of such case. No formal organizationally sponsored career planning is in existence now, but the HR unit is considering it with due importance and now working on it to implement in near future.HR department ensures integration between HRP and strategic planning of the organization.

The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper -- Chopin Awakening Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin's story The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's story The Yellow Wallpaper draw their power from two truths: First, each work stands as a political cry against injustice and at the socio/political genesis of the modern feminist movement. Second, each text is a gatekeeper of a new literary history. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman seem to initiate a new phase in textual history where literary conventions are revised to serve an ideology representative of the "new" feminine presence. Two conventions in particular seem of central importance: "marriage" and "propriety".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Donald Keesey, editor of the critical collection Contexts for Criticism, describes "convention" for us as, devices of structure and plot, techniques of character representation, and a vast reservoir of images and symbols are conventions that most Western literatures, at least, have in commonBut like the conventions of language, they have meaning only to those who have learned them (Keesey, 262).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Literary convention is on one side the particular tool or image; for example, "baptism" can be used as a literary a convention. It is a "convention" because it brings with it a set of inferences, i.e. rebirth, renewal, awakening, initiation, etc. This relation of the signifier to the signified is what Chopin and Gilman seek to revise in the conventions of "propriety" and "marriage". The preceding definition of "convention" leaves us with an important question, namely, "What if what the existing conventions imply is insufficient? What if, as in the case of Chopin and Gilman, the canon (as a reflection of society at large) has failed to recognize the feminine voice?" As these authors have shown us, when such is the ... ...ier." New Essays on The Awakening. Ed. Wendy Martin. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. 89-106. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Feminist Press, 1973. Gilmore, Michael T. "Revolt Against Nature: The Problematic Modernism of The Awakening." Martin 59-84. Giorcelli, Cristina. "Edna's Wisdom: A Transitional and Numinous Merging." Martin 109-39. Keesey, Donald, Contexts for Criticism. Mayfield Publishing Company, 1994. Martin, Wendy, ed. New Essays on the Awakening. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Papke, Mary E. Verging on the Abyss: The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1990. Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969. Showalter, Elaine. "Tradition and the Female Talent: The Awakening as a Solitary Book." Martin 33-55.