Secret_River

OUTCOME 2 Conflict has the ability to bring out the best and the worst in people. While some would like to believe that it is in times of conflict that they are able to behave altruistically, surely it is still acting out of self-interest if one is able to reap some benefit, even if it is only one of feeling good. Surely acting out of self-interest isn’t really always that bad. Saving your house instead of the neighbours, or saving your own child instead of someone else’s. There are those who act extremely selfishly in times of conflict like for example the looters in the recent Queensland floods. Really in times of conflict people do act out of self-interest but that isn’t always a bad thing. It is in times of conflict that there are in fact some people who will exploit the situation to ensure they get what they want. In “THE CRUCIBLE”, we are shown this through the character, Abigail. She takes advantage of the hysteria surrounding the witch hunts and tries to get John Proctor, as he husband. She also wants power and ultimately is aiming for revenge. Just like a real life situation, if you were suddenly given all this power, it would be overwhelming but at the same time the decisions made may not be rational. Basically this is the same with Abigail. She suddenly has all this power but doesn’t know what to do. She wants to take revenge and prove that she is in control to John Proctor, and she really seemed to enjoy the power she was suddenly able to yield. Sometimes unfortunately when some people suddenly find themselves with power and control in a situation of conflict they don’t always act with their best interest. It can be in times of individuals seeking to have power and control over others where conflict may appear and it can be in times of conflict where individuals try to grasp power and control and use it to their own advantage. Some people like to exploit that power and use it to control others acting out of self-interest and this can lead to conflict. Danforth and Hathorne acted out of self-interest with their power which they also used to control others, in fact got the better of them. The power that both Hathorne and Danforth had led to selfless acts and them taking over others. They did this by; they could have stopped the witch hunt proceeding however, if doing so they would have had to confess that they are wrong. Thus this is why the proceedings of the witch hunts went on as Hathorne and Danforth clearly didn’t want to admit that they were in fact wrong. Surely many would agree that Elizabeth.P acted selflessly. But is this really true' She could have saved her husband’s life if she had wanted to. Would people agree that she acted out of self-interest in the conflict of the witch hunts' Or was she a selfless honourable woman concerned about her own immortal soul' Self-interest doesn’t have to be a negative concept, especially not when people are placed under the pressure of severe conflict. Looking after one’s self and one’s own can be perceived differently depending on the individual, the situation and the ‘observer’. Surely in times of conflict concepts such as self-interest shift. In times of war, the concept of self-interest might change, staying alive, looking after one’s self or even ones team, at the cost of the lives of others. Was it acting out of self-interest to bill enemy soldiers' Was it selfish' Many involved in the Salem witch hunts would have perceived this as a time of war. It’s in times of conflict when some form of peer group pressure can occur, and its times like these where one may act either selfishly or selflessly. Marry Warren is a great example of this as not only is she Proctor’s servants but she in fact ends up actually accusing Proctor due to her giving deposition against Abagail. She initially tries to the right thing but Abagail continues to lie. What would the world come to if people did not strive to help themselves' Would more be accomplished or nothing at all' When is helping oneself self-interest, and when is it rude and selfish' How far does one have to go to not be selfish' In order to be not selfish, must a person spent all their time giving to others' Is in a way giving to others even show selfishness' If that is true is it possible to end selfishness' Yet, to understand the importance of self-interest it is important to understand my opinion of the answers to these questions. Self-interest is when people strive to help their condition or themselves without implicating harm on others. It causes people to work harder. I am sure without self-interest many people would not be working at all. Doing anything is an act of self-interest. Eating, showering, sleeping, are all acts of self-interest. They are very important and vital to life. This shows that if self-interest were to completely end, not only would it be bad for the economy of the country, but also the entire human race would die. I think it is natural for people to think of themselves first. If you put someone in a situation where they would lose their life to save somebody their friends, I do not feel that they would be willing to do that.