A Forgotten Friend free essay sample

One of the most peaceful times in a four-year-old’s life, as well as their parents, includes nap time. My parents always made sure that my sister, Kelly, and I had a sufficient amount of sleep during the day. Once we fell asleep, they became almost inaudible throughout our down time. This typically occurred anyways until one afternoon in spring. The new season had just begun rolling in, bringing with it lilac-covered buds on our mother’s favored Crape Myrtle, the newly sprouted fresh blades of grass , and that distinct spring time breeze that sauntered into our room through an open window and scrambled our circus animal wind chimes that gave off just the right amount of soft clatter. But the clatter didn’t awake me that day. The noise pronounced itself as a rhythmic bang that had a slightly muffled tone and paused at random intervals. A dominant instinct at that time took over: to look for Baby Bop, my favorite childhood character and mandatory traveling partner. We will write a custom essay sample on A Forgotten Friend or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She lay right beside me where I had left her with her scratched, black acrylic eyes, apparent faded ears, and bald spot just above her right leg that had enlarged over time due to my nervous picking of her fur. I stretched, yawned, and rubbed my eyes to restore my once fuzzy vision. Kelly and I shared a bunk bed and because of the age difference, I claimed the top bunk. Routinely, I grasped the safety railing and leaned over just far enough so I could make sure Kelly remained in her rightful place. There she lay, with the capability to sleep through a tornado and not even flinch. With that, I tucked Baby Bop under my arm and climbed down the step ladder that rested at the foot of my bed to investigate the cause of my nap disturbance, My parents chose to buy that house because of its large back yard, in hopes of one day having children to frolic and play in it. The sea of green had wide spread dimensions, stretching nearly half an acre and sprinkled with dandelions. Toward the edge of the yard sat my dog’s fenced in dog house, overgrown with sweet honey-suckle. Just beyond that, a wall of Leland Cypresses, grown from a couple of four-foot tress my parents had planted years ago. On the other side sat an ancient tree, a refuge, which provided many square footage of shade on those much-in-need-of-a-cold-Popsicle-and-shade-days. I knew every inch of my backyard; after all I spent most of my time out there. So when I arrived at my sliding screen door that opened up to my giant and endless playground, it took me by surprise to see my parents hammering away on some foreign object. After peering through the door for a while, I saw a brand new play set! My excitement level reached its tiptop peak, and I didn’t even worry about ruining the surprise. I just had to become closer to my new play mate. With both arms, I used all my four-year-old strength to open the screen door and shot outside, the cool breeze colliding with my smiling face and Baby Bop dangling by one leg from my hand. Born an observer, this gave my eyes a special treat! I don’t remember much, but I do remember a long bright yellow slide that had a wave-like figure that took me up and down on my journey to the bottom. Two swings, accompanied by a hanging monkey bar gleamed in the sunlight, the rubber protective covering on the chains looking completely irresistible. I recall large bolts that held magnificent structure and a rainbow roof made of tarp-like material sheltering the entire thing. My parents noticed my presence and said, â€Å"Well, what do you think?† as they wiped drops of sweat from their brow. I know I have spent countless hours on that play set and that it took my creative mind on adventures that money can’t buy. Now, that great joy sits in my current back yard. I haven’t played on it in years. The slide now has a mustard yellow complexion and gathers more fallen leaves everyday. The wooden framework continues to rot and the tarp had faded and torn. I’ll never forget the day I saw that play set and those wings that once took me soaring above the clouds. Those same swings now only move in the spring-time breeze.

Taylor McCauslin Essays - Stacey Slater, Free Essays, Term Papers

Taylor McCauslin Essays - Stacey Slater, Free Essays, Term Papers Taylor McCauslin Nick Lakostik English 1100 September 8, 2015 A Childhood Impact I am eight years old. I'm sitting in the back of my mom's old white Cadillac. My mother and Aunt Jessie are talking quietly to each other up front. After we pick up Aunt Jessie, we drive to a large brown, brick building. There is a group of people outside waving signs and yelling at all of the girls who come out of this mysterious building. Why are they yelling at them? These girls seem so sad. Sometimes, I'll see a guy holding a girl who is crying. I'm scared. I look up at my aunt just before she walks into this building. Silent tears stream down the sides of her face. I don't understand. If this building makes people sad, why do they go in? My aunt looks at my mom and says, "This is the last time. I can't keep doing this." My mother doesn't respond until Aunt Jessie is away from our view and inside the building. She looks at me with sad eyes and says, "It'll be okay. Aunt Jessie will be back soon." I want to ask questions. What's going on? Why is everyone sad or angry? When can we leave? But I'm too scared. So I sit quietly and stare out the window at the angry group of people with the giant signs. After what seemed like forever, Aunt Jessie comes out of this awful building and gets back in the car. I can't really see her face. "Are you okay?" Mom asks her. She doesn't respond immediately. Aunt Jessie looks up at my mom and starts violently shaking and sobbing. I am very confused and even more terrified. My mom hugs her and comforts her while whispering, "It'll be okay," over and over again. I remain quiet the rest of the way to Aunt Jessie's house and then back to ours. It wasn't until three years later I understood what happened on this day. My aunt had an abortion. Falling to Pieces It's a couple of weeks after my fifteenth birthday. Today is a good day. I have no homework, I aced a huge test, and I didn't have to work. I am getting ready for bed the same way I do every night. I'm getting ready to take a shower when my new cell phone starts blaring from my pink dresser to the right of my turtle tank. I look at the screen and briefly ponder whether or not to answer. It's my best friend Stacey's mother. I assume she's calling to ask where she is again. Stacey has a habit of sneaking out and getting caught. But I answer it. Little do I know that this phone call will change my life forever. I drop the phone and run to where Stacey and I used to go to hide from the world. My mother calls after me as I head outside but I barely hear her. I can only focus on those few words running through my head over and over again. I feel nothing, but I know the pain is coming. As the tears finally begin to fall, I think about all of those times Stacey and I shared together. We've helped each other through so many hard times. But I remember one time in particular when Stacey had met a boy named Ethan. She thought she was in love after only three weeks of dating. I tried convincing her that she sounded crazy to no avail. After about four months of non-stop talk of Ethan, Stacey unexpectedly came over to my house. She was in tears. I grabbed her and held her until she settled down. "What happened?" I asked. She reached into her bag and avoided my eyes as she handed me a thin object wrapped in tissue paper. As I took it from her hand, I gently unveiled this mysterious object that seemed to be the source of so much grief. My stomach immediately sunk as the bright blue plus sign on the small screen glared at me. I held her for the rest of the night through several bouts of tears. Stacey had decided on a plan. I was wholeheartedly against it. I

Interpersonal Film Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpersonal Film Paper - Essay Example Lorelai’s parents, who are seen to be quiet different than her never let her forget how much trouble she was in her early years. She therefore lives independently with Rory, however eventually she turns for their financial help in order to give Rory the best education. The show revolves around the communication and the lack thereof between the characters which leads them to a number of situations, good and bad. It depicts how Lorelai while still leaving room for her daughter to make mistakes, continues to make so many of her own. The series runs for 7 seasons all of which portray to the audience the drama of these dynamic women at their prime as well as their downfalls. It shows that how no matter what happens in their lives, the basic fact that they will always have each other, and this is what Lorelai and Rory Gilmore are all about. One of the major propellant of the ‘Gilmore girls story, as far as communication is concerned is closely associated to the aspect of American class. Firstly it is important to mention that American culture being categorized as low-context where the communication style has most of the information incorporated into a message with the need for detailed background information for social interaction (Hall, 1973). Lorelai, despite being born and raised in a wealthy atmosphere is seen to have left her home with her child at the age of seventeen. She moved to Stars Hollow and started a new life working her way up from a job as a maid at the Independence Inn to being a manager there years later. Being privileged instead of making her feel comfortable and safe made her feel repressed and controlled. The defining reason for this disparity and gap between her and her parents was due to poor communication which leads to widening the gap between them, one which already was undeniable due to very different

Introduction to Global Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Introduction to Global Business - Assignment Example First, Silence is consent and it might be that their silence to contribution is a means of approval to the points contributed in the meeting. The use of individualism is a dimension that is of great impact in the meeting. If they contributed to the meeting, they might spoil the broth by changing the theme since it appears like Sue has a great trust in them. Sue being the project manager she should be motivated by the dimension of femininity and like her role as the leader for charity begins at home. She should believe in herself and things will work out as she wants. Nowadays, innovation has become a continuous event. Over years things have been changing drastically from one generation to another due to the fact of improvement from the various ideas or deeds. In the industry of music it is evident that music has been growing from various old styles to newer styles which until today have never been exhausted. New artist come up almost daily and others are being born. Each of the artists that come up has got his/her style in the music industry. Rap music is one of the fields in the music industry which has shown great success. It has grown from various themes like humor, and lightheartedness in the late 80’s and early 90’s till it begun to take a darker turn where the theme nowadays is mostly about Cars, Money, and Fame. Various groups like NWA by Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are one of the main leaders of rap and they are the founders of what is now called the gangsta rap. New culture goes hand in hand with new things that come as a result of changes from the previous ways of lifestyle. The daily struggles of living in poverty and illicit ways of obtaining money became the theme and it started from there. Since then, rap has branched out with people having commercial success, and has exploded in popularity. Currently rap is not the same everywhere; it has reached a position of

Nursing Curriculum Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Curriculum Analysis - Term Paper Example The designers usually incorporate the results from course evaluations from previous classes of the same course. This enriches the design process as it provides a benchmark that leads the designers towards achievement of the objectives. Any course design process incorporates the course objectives, outcomes and competencies. The course design ought to reflect the students’ area of knowledge, the abilities and values gained from the course. The course design identifies the materials necessary for the learning process. Once the core concepts and content requirement have been identified, the design captures the organization of lessons in tandem to the content requirement. The lesson would be tailored in ways that best advantage the students. The typical arrangement entails the content plan that moves from the known to the unknown. This lesson plan, beginning from the simple to the complex, accommodates the students. The course design usually would be skewed to favor the student and enables the gradual development from basic to complex (Wittmann-Price, 2009). Course to Curriculum Requirement The curriculum requirements resonate around the understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, the objective could be said to be the comprehension of the nursing skills. The course design and implementation address the core curriculum requirement. The course division, into smaller units of study such as modules, units and lessons facilitate the knowledge acquisition process. The course structure enables analysis, synthesis, internalization and application of the nursing knowledge. These enables the students attain the curriculum requirement. The process of acquiring nursing knowledge cannot be a one off activity. It entails the gradual process that consolidates diverse processes. The course structure enables the acquisition process going by the consolidated nature of the entire course package. The students interact with the faculty, fellow students and clients during the course. This essentially assists in the realization of the curriculum requirements. The curriculum design can, therefore, be considered harmonious with the course design. The course design must, hence, incorporate the curriculum objectives by appreciating the curriculum design (The essentials of baccalaureate nursing practice, 2008). The previous evaluations of nursing student graduate should help in developing the course design in a manner that fundamentally addresses the curriculum design objectives. The course design incorporates the use of materials, modes and models that the curriculum design adopted. The course delivery modes though diverse in nature contribute towards meeting the curriculum design. The curriculum design outlines the criterion that would lead to the production of nurses, proficient in both the theoretical and practical aspects of nursing profession. The course entails the opportunity for both practical and theoretical acquisition of nursing knowledge. This con tributes to the meeting of the curriculum needs. The course design embraces both class and clinical learning modes. Through this, the students obtain the theoretical knowledge in class and the practical application during the clinical (â€Å"Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) 2010 Candidate Handbook†, 2010). Achievement of Course Design, Learning Expectations and Curricular

Outline the clinical characteristics of depression

Outline the clinical characteristics of depression The clinical symptoms of depression are characterised by an all-encompassing sadness, composed of a remarkably broad range of feelings, thoughts, and physical manifestations. These include low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, pessimism, and feelings of dejection and hopelessness. Most sufferers will experience sleep disturbance and a loss of appetite and libido. All of these symptoms are usually accompanied by overwhelming tiredness, a lack of interest or enjoyment, guilt feelings, crying spells and social withdrawal. Other common features are psychomotor retardation (general slowing down physically), loss or motivation, and feelings of inadequacy and helplessness. There is often a diurnal mood variation (sufferers may feel worse either in the mornings or in the evenings). See table below for a more detailed explanation of the behaviours associated with depression. Affective Physiological Cognitive Behavioural Anger Abdominal pain Ambivalence Aggressiveness Anxiety Anorexia Confusion Agitation Apathy Backache Inability to concentrate Alcoholism Bitterness Chest pain Indecisiveness Altered activity level Denial of feelings Constipation Loss of interest and motivation Drug addiction Dejection Dizziness Self blame Intolerance Guilt Fatigue Self- depreciation Irritability Helplessness Headache Self- destructive thoughts Lack of spontaneity Hopelessness Impotence Pessimism Overdependence Loneliness Indigestion uncertainty Poor personal hygiene Low self-esteem Lassitude Psychomotor retardation Sadness Menstrual changes Tearfulness Sense of personal worthlessness Nausea Underachievement Sexual non responsiveness Withdrawal Sleep disturbances Vomiting Weight changes Give two or more physiological causes of depression The cognitive model Of the causes of depression proposes that people experience symptoms of depression because their thinking is disturbed. Depression is a cognitive problem that is dominated by the persons negative evaluation of themselves, their world and their future. In the course of their development certain experiences sensitize the individual and make them vulnerable to depression. They also acquire a tendency to make extreme, absolute judgments; loss is viewed as irrevocable and indifference as total rejection. The depression prone person is likely to explain an adverse event as a personal shortcoming. `The deserted husband believes she left me because Im unlovable. Instead of considering the other possible alternatives, such as personality incompatibility, the wifes own problems, or her feelings towards him. As he focuses on his personal deficiencies, they expand to the point where they completely dominate his self concept. He can think of himself only in a negative way and is unable to acknowledge his other abilities, achievements, and attributes. This negative set is reinforced when he interprets ambiguous or neutral experiences as additional proof of his deficiencies. Comparisons with other people further lower his self-esteem. And thus every encounter with others becomes a negative experience. His self-criticisms increase as he views himself as deserving of blame. (Beck) In the cognitive model of depression, it is thought that many cases develop through early life experiences, where parents have been excessively critical, the child may internalise the impact rule that being valued only comes from perfect performance. This assumption may become latent or silent during parts of adult life, where any endeavours are met with a reasonable degree of success. Thus, prior to becoming depressed, the person had by unrelenting hard word, managed to live up to the excesses of their conditional belief however, any notable failures activate the latent assumption and the person becomes sensitised to any signs of falling short of their perfectionist standard. A common factor that interferes with the application of the cognitive model apparently disparate presentations of persistent depression is avoidance. In persistent depression avoidance can serve to mask negative thinking patterns or inhibit the effect of negative thoughts on mood. On occasions, negative thinking may be overt or apparent due to such avoidance. Pinpointing such avoidance in persistent depression is often prerequisite to identifying negative thoughts. The behavioural model The behavioural explanation of the causes of depression is based on the view that abnormality is seen as the result of learning from the environment. In other words depression is a response to life experiences and stressors. Disturbances of mood are a specific response to stress. There are two major types of stress that a person may experience. The first is the stress of major life events that are evident to others. The second type of stress may not be obvious at all to others, but it is the minor stress or irritations of daily life. These are the small disappointments, frustrations, criticisms, and arguments that when accumulated over time and in the absence of compensating positive events produce a major and chronic negative impact. It is appropriate, therefore, to examine in more detail some of the sources of life stressors that may produce disturbances of mood. Four such, sources include major life events, roles, coping resources, and physiological changes. Major life events (Hol mes and Rahe) did the pioneering work in this area with the development of social readjustment rating scale. Rank Life event Mean value 1 Death of spouse 100 2 Divorce 73 3 Marital separation 65 4 Jail term 63 5 Death of close family member 63 6 Personal injury or illness 53 7 Marriage 50 8 Fired at work 47 9 Marital reconciliation 45 10 Retirement 45 11 Change in health of family member 44 12 Pregnancy 40 13 Sex difficulties 39 14 Gain of new family member 39 15 Business readjustment 39 16 Change in financial state 38 17 Death of close friend 37 18 Change to different line of work 36 19 Change in number of arguments with spouse 35 20 Mortgage over 10,000 31 21 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30 22 Changes in responsibilities at work 29 23 Son or daughter leaving home 29 24 Trouble with in-laws 29 25 Outstanding personal achievement 28 26 Wife begin or stop work 26 27 Begin or end school 26 28 Change in living conditions 25 29 Revision of personal habits 24 30 Trouble with boss 23 31 Change in work hours or conditions 20 32 Change in residence 20 33 Change in school 20 34 Change in recreation 19 35 Change in church activities 19 36 Change in social activities 18 37 Mortgage or loan less than 10,000 17 38 Change in sleeping habits 16 39 Change in number of family get- togethers 15 40 Change in eating habits 15 41 Vacation 12 42 Christmas 12 42 Minor violations of the law 11 The scale ranks important life events and assigns a specific value to each one on the basis of the amount of coping behaviour needed by the individual to deal with the event. As the score of the mean value increases, the likelihood of an illness increases. The behavioural model overcomes the ethical issues raised by the medical model of labelling someone as `ill or abnormal, instead the model concentrates on behaviour and whether it is adaptive of maladaptive. Those who support the psychodynamic model, however, claim the behavioural model focuses only on symptoms and ignores the cause of abnormal behaviour they claim that the symptoms are merely the tip of the iceberg, the outward expression of deeper underlying emotional problems. Coping resources Life stress may also take the form of inadequate coping resources. Personal resources available to individuals include their socioeconomic status (income, occupation, social position, and education), families (nuclear and extended), interpersonal networks, and the secondary organizations provided by the broader social environment. The far-ranging effects of poverty, discrimination, inadequate housing, and social isolation cannot be ignored or taken lightly. Physiological changes Disturbances in mood may also occur as a response to physiological changes produced by drugs or a wide variety of physical illnesses. Drug- induced depressions have been noted to occur following treatments with various antihypertensive drugs and the abuse of addictive substances, such as amphetamines, and barbiturates. Depression may also occur, secondary to a wide variety of medical illnesses, for example viral infections, nutritional deficiencies, endocrine disorders, anaemias, and central nervous system disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, tumours, and cerebral vascular disease. Evaluate psychodynamic therapy in treatment of depression in terms of its strengths and weakness Psychodynamic therapy is a generic term that embraces all those therapies of an analytic nature. Probably the majority of psychodynamicists adhere to work and teaching of Freud. But also in this group you will find therapy based on ideas of various other psychologists including Jung and Adler. In this type of therapy, the therapist keeps his own personality out of the picture. This vital aspect of psychodynamic psychotherapy and it enables the therapist to be like a blank canvas onto which patients can transfer and project deep feelings about themselves, their parents and other significant people in their life. It is then up to the therapist to handle all the feelings and information that emerge, to gradually help patients to deal with all this `baggage. In this way the therapists helps patients gain a better understanding of what their disturbances are and how their mind works. The term psychodynamic refers to a group of explanations that try to account for the dynamics of behaviour i.e. the forces that motivate behaviour. Freuds revolutionary theory was that depression does not have a physical cause, but instead arises from unresolved, unconscious conflicts which form in early childhood. This model is based on Freuds theory of psychosexual development. A child passes through a series of stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital) if there is a major conflict at any of these stages, the child can spend an unusually long time at that developmental stage (called fixation) if and adult experiences great personal problems, he or she will tend to show regression (going backwards through the stages of psychosexual development) to the stage at which he or she had previously been fixated. The prime goal of therapy is to enable patients to gain access to their repressed ideas and conflicts, and to encourage them to face up to whatever pops out from the unconscious mind. Freud initially used hypnosis as a means of accessing repressed memories but later turned to the analysis of dreams and technique of free association, where a client is encouraged to say the first thing that comes in to his or her mind. The strengths of psychodynamic therapy is that it identifies traumatic childhood experiences as a factor in the development of depression in later life. A weakness of this type of therapy is that the therapist may appear disinterested in the clients current problems. A depressed patient wants to talk about themselves now as opposed to then. Another weakness to the Freudian approach is that it tends to focus too much on sex, and does not emphasise the importance of interpersonal and social factors in causing and maintaining depression. A patient must have the right to approve or disapprove of any treatment programme and a depressed patient may well have fears and doubts about laying their soul to bear to a stranger. Another ethical implication of this type of therapy is that patients may not take any responsibility for their illness depends on unconscious processes over which they have no control. In addition, the idea that adult mental illness is based in childhood experiences implies that parents are at least partially to blame. Is it ethical to cause distress to parents by suggesting that they are responsible for their childs menta l illness? Serious ethical issues are raised by numerous recent cases of false memory syndrome, where patients in therapy have made allegations about childhood physical or sexual abuse which may or may not be true. Freud believed that men and women have their own biologically determined sexual natures, and depression can develop when the natural course of their sexual development is thwarted. This notion is ethically dubious, as it ignores cultural differences in sexual attitudes and behaviour. Outline the clinical characteristics of Schizophrenia Although the popular concept of split personality is still common the reality of Schizophrenia is far more complex. The two most frequently found elements of the illness are delusions and hallucinations. Bizarre delusions are common. The content of these delusions is patently absurd and has no possible basis in fact, such as delusions of being controlled, thought broadcasting or thought insertion. Suffers often report grandiose or religious delusions or beliefs about themselves having physical symptoms which do not in fact exist. They may feel persecuted or irrationally jealous. A particularly distressing symptom consists of auditory hallucinations in which either a voice keeps up a running commentary on the individuals behaviour of thoughts, or two or more voices converse with each other. To the outsider the sufferer may appear incoherent, blinded or even catatonic. There is a marked deterioration from their previous level of functioning in such areas as work, social relations and self care. Below is a list of symptoms from American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, third edition, Washington, D.C, APA, 1980. Social isolation or withdrawal Marked impairment in role functioning as wage earner, student, or homemaker Marked peculiar behaviour (e.g., collecting garbage, talking to self in public, or hoarding food) Marked impairment in personal hygiene and grooming Blunted, flat, or inappropriate affect Digressive, vague, over elaborate, circumstantial, or metaphorical speech Odd or bizarre ideation, or magical thinking, e.g., superstitousness, clairvoyance, telepathy, sixth sense, others can feel my feelings, overvalued ideas, ideas of reference Unusual perceptual experiences, e.g., recurrent illusions, sensing the presence of a force or person not actually present. Give two or more psychological (psychodynamic/behavioural/cognitive) expiations of Schizophrenia Psychodynamic Psychoanalytical theory states that Schizophrenic behaviour results when the ego can no longer withstand the pressures emanating from the id and from external reality. The ego of the psychotic person struggles to cope with stress because of serious deficiencies in the relationship between the person as a child and his mother. When the person is anxious and stressed he employs ego defence mechanisms in an unhealthy way in an effort to control unacceptable impulses and thoughts. Take for example a man or woman with paranoid delusions. So much psychic energy is invested in holding down these terrible thoughts and impulses that there is little energy left to deal with normal daily living. The person withdraws from usual activities and has difficulty maintaining basic physiological needs such as nutrition and hygiene. If stress and anxiety gets even worse, ego functioning may deteriorate further, and the person will be flooded with frightening thoughts and impulses. As ego identity disint egrates communication is confused and garbled, and the person is alone in their own world. According to Freud, schizophrenia is a form of regression, back to the oral stage of development; the oral stage is the first stage of psychosexual development. A baby is born a bundle of id, is self indulgent and concerned only with a satisfaction of their needs. There is a need gratify these impulses but their experiences in the real world result in conflict, people with schizophrenia are overwhelmed by anxiety because their egos are not strong enough to cope with id impulses in schizophrenia, this can lead to self indulgent symptoms such as delusions, such as hearing voices which may have an ultimate authority. It has been suggested that schizophrenia has a psychosomatic cause the origin is solely in the mind. At best it could only be a partial explanation of some symptoms, e.g. delusions. In reality Freud is denying the experience of patients with schizophrenia, it is unscientific and extremely difficult to test. Concepts such as repression are difficult to observe and measure, although this difficulty does not invalidate the theory. The theory is based on unrepresentative samples, case studies, from which it is difficult to generalise. The theory fails to account for gender differences the onset for males is around 20 years, and for females 30 years. Nor does the theory explain why, prior to diagnosis, their behaviour has appeared normal. Furthermore, it also excludes considerations of the environment. A concise explanation of Schizophrenia was given by O.A. Will in his 1961 study of Human relatedness and the schizophrenic reaction. The expression of complicated patterns of behaviour adopted by the organism in an effort to deal with a gross inadequacy in relating to other humans. The Behavioural explanation Schizophrenia can evolve as the results of various experiences that influence the growth of the individual. In most instances a series of life events predisposes the individual to difficulty with interpersonal relationships. The family is the unit within which the first experiences with closeness to others take place. Lack of maternal stimulation or attention deprives the infant of a sense of security and there is failure to establish basic trust. This can lead to a suspicious attitude toward others that may continue throughout life. The quality of mothering attention is also important. A child may be adequately fed and receive impeccable physical care but without any communication of maternal caring. A child who is treated like an object may well become an adult who treats others like objects. Family communication patterns may also be stressors leading to disruptions in relationships. Patients with a medical diagnosis of schizophrenia are frequently members of families with identifiably disturbed communication patterns. Relationship problems frequently become manifest in the symptomatic behaviour of one family member. This deviant behaviour develops when the family is subjected to intolerable levels of stress. A family member who actscrazy may serve the function of keeping the family system intact. For example, if there is a family rule that hostility is never expressed directly between family members, and the parents are involved in a conflict which they may not confront, tension will build up within the family system. One of the children may respond to this tension by acting crazy and performing destructive acts in the home. Evaluate cognitive behavioural therapies in the treatment od schizophrenia in terms of its strengths and weakness Cognitive behavioural therapy is a kind of psychotherapy which aims to change the way that people think about their problem and thus alters the effects of the problem itself. One specific example is stress inoculation training, which is a technique to reduce stress through the use of stress management techniques, and self statements that aim to restructure the way the person thinks. A second example is increasing hardiness, which is building up in the patient a cluster of traits possessed by those people best able to cope with stress. The main strength of C.B.T in the treatment of schizophrenia is that it gives more power, choice, and responsibility for their treatment to a group of patients who have traditionally had things done to them, for example in the form of medication, social skills training and even ECT. There is no doubt that distorted and irrational beliefs and this treatment targets abnormal thinking. The purely cognitive approach grew out of dissatisfaction with the behavioural model and its emphasis on purely external factors. It emphasised internal mental influences and the power of the individual to shape their own thinking. Recently the two approaches have been integrated, so CBT treatment deals with maladaptive behaviours as well as distorted thoughts and beliefs. The weakness of this therapy is that it can be seen as rather limited genetic factors are ignored, and not much attention is paid to the role of social and interpersonal factors or of individuals life experiences in producing schizophrenia. Discuss the ethics of cognitive behavioural therapy Because the cognitive approach to therapy concentrates on the concept that mentally ill people have distorted thoughts and beliefs, it follows that sufferers of schizophrenia may feel that their illness is their own fault. This raises some ethical issues. Patients will be even more stressed if they have to take responsibility for their illness. It is unfair to blame patients for being ill, because their families may be mainly responsible, since it may be that maladaptive experiences in adulthood are based in childhood experiences, over which the sufferer has no control. It is even more striking to understand that the negative thoughts and beliefs of patients could be rational, and reflect the awful circumstances of the way they live in other words, if the patient feels blame they are unlikely to contemplate change. Outline the characteristics of one eating disorder (Bruch .H. The golden cage: the enigma of anorexia nervosa 1978) Perception is also an important aspect of the behaviour of young people with anorexia nervosa. These people perceive that they are fat and literally starve themselves to achieve their goal of being thin. However, because of the distortion in body image that they experience, the goal is unattainable. Even when emaciated to the point that their appearance is skeletal, they will maintain that they are fat and persist in their attempt to lose weight. Bruch describes the typical anorexic process as `beginning with a diet. Initially, the dieter experiences a sense of deprivation and difficulty in maintain the restrictions. However, she then enters a stage of pride in her accomplishment and this perpetuates the behaviour. At the same time, biological effects of starvation cause distortions in perception of body sensations. There is a heightening of sensory experience and a feeling that has been compared to intoxication. As the condition progresses, the patient begins to feel special and different because of her superhuman effort and extraordinary accomplishment. These results in her alienation and isolation from others who fail to understand her behaviour and its meaning to her. She is then becomes increasingly absorbed in her own world and her behaviour assumes even greater importance to her. Anorexia nervosa is really a misnomer. Anorexia means lack of appetite. People with anorexia nervosa do experience hunger, and it is the victory over hunger that provides their reward. Anorexics are often fascinated with food and cooking, becoming students of nutrition. They may compulsively loiter in places where food is sold or served and watch other people eat. Their life becomes centred on food and the avoidance of eating. Anorexics go to extremes to avoid weight gain. They will induce vomiting, take diuretics and laxatives, and exercise strenuously. Many other physical changes are common in anorexic women, including amenorrhea (periods stopping), lanugo (extra body hair especially facial), and bradycardia (heart problems). Another eating disorder that is similar in some respects to anorexia nervosa is bulimia. The bulimic person experiences episodes of binge eating, frequently followed by vomiting. Binge eating is compulsive intake of food that is stopped only when the person vomits, experiences pain runs out of food, or is interrupted. It is differentiated from anorexia nervosa by the fact that severe weight loss is not generally seen and the individual is well aware that their behaviour is abnormal. Bulimics are usually able to maintain a more normal weight by alternating binging and vomiting or by eating very little between binges. Give two or more psychological explanations of eating disorders Psychodynamic Eating disorders usually begin in adolescent girls (90% of sufferers are female). This may suggest that this coincides with the onset of sexual development and sexual fears. Psychodynamic theorists have suggested that an adolescent girl may be terrified by their own feelings of sexual desire, or a fear of becoming pregnant, or even (and this may seem farfetched but is based on ignorance of the facts of life) of a fear of becoming pregnant by oral sex. If eating is mentally links in adolescent to getting pregnant, then starving herself will prevent pregnancy. It also stops menstruation so ovulation stops so no pregnancy. Another psychodynamic explanation of eating disorders is that some adolescent girls are afraid of growing up and have an unconscious desire to remain pre-pubescent. If they lose a lot of weight their bodies will not develop normally and they can hang on to the belief that they are still children. Finally, some patients who present with eating disorders were victims of sexual abuse as children. Consequently they hate their bodies and may even self-harm. There is a theory, supported by Minuchin, Roseman, and Baker (1978) that eating disorders may be firmly rooted in family dynamics. The term enmeshment is used to describe a family where there is no space for the personal independence of the child family members all seem to do everything together. Adolescence should be a time when the child develops their independence. If they cannot do this the anorexic adolescent may rebel by refusing to eat. Families which are enmeshed like this find it difficult to sort out conflicts (Minuchin et al.1978). In the theory of psychodynamics such families create anxiety. This is where ego-defences come in; parents unable to cope with their anxiety put the blame (unconsciously) on the anorexic child herself. Parental conflicts are common in families of both anorexics and bulimics (Kalusy, Crisp, and Harding 1977). This research came to the conclusion that families with an anorexic child tend to be ambitious, to deny or ignore conflicts, and blames othe r people for their problems. Behavioural The psychological theory of classical conditioning teaches us a great deal about the development of anorexia. These sufferers associate eating with anxiety they associate losing weight with avoiding bad thoughts and feelings (Leitenberg, Agras, and Thompson (1968)). The other relevant psychological theory is operant conditioning. The anorexic gets pleasure from gaining attention. It is also rewarding or re-enforcing because slim people are considered more attractive than fat ones. Similarly, there is a behavioural explanation of bulimia. When a bulimic binges it causes them anxiety, so when they vomit they revise the situation and their anxiety is reduced. This reduction in anxiety makes the person feel better, so the cycle of bingeing followed by vomiting is maintained. (Rosen and Leitenberg 1985). Discuss the ethics of behavioural therapies The term is used when considering moral behaviour among professionals, such as behavioural therapists. Certain things may be less acceptable than others, but if the ultimate end is for the good of the patient, then we may feel than an undesirable behaviour is acceptable. A psychiatric ward full of patients with eating orders can be one of the most depressing places on earth. Behavioural therapy usually involves giving patients targets and rewards regarding their consumption of food and drink. Patients with eating disorders can be distressed, stubborn, and frightened; the behavioural programmes developed for their recovery are often unwelcome and in themselves cause anxiety. There are major ethical issues occurring on a daily basis can staff force people to eat against their will? What of the rights of these individuals to be treated in a caring and respectful way? I doubt that loss of privileges constitute a caring and respectful way of helping a disturbed patient who refuses to eat. The issues of informed consent and the protection of patients from harm are huge points of conflict in the therapeutic treatment of people with eating disorders.

Feminism In The Crime Film Genre Essay -- Women Females Movies Film Es

Feminism In The Crime Film Genre Throughout motion picture history, women have experienced more transition in their roles, as a result of changing societal norms, than any other class. At first, both society and the movie industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in the home, in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. As time passed and attitudes changed, women were beginning to be depicted as strong willed, independent minded characters, who were eager to break away from convention. The genre of the crime film represents such a change in the roles handed to women. Two films that can be contrasted, in order to support this view, are: The Public Enemy by William Wellman (1931) and Bonnie &Clyde by Arthur Penn (1967).In The Public Enemy, women are portrayed as naive and/or objects of carnal pleasure by men. In this period, women were often categorized as mothers, mistresses, sisters, or ladies. Ma Powers (played by Beryl Mercer), the lead character Tom Powers’(played by James Cagney) mother, is easily fooled by Tom’s fake stories about where he get his money and doesn’t believe that her "baby boy" could be a vile gangster. At one point during prohibition, when Tom brings home a barrel of beer, she doesn’t even question where he obtained it, but rather takes a drink for herself. Ma Powers is the prototypical mother of the 1930’s. She is blind to the ways of the world and doesn’t see the danger of things, even in regard to her own children. She is a widow who does not work, but is supported by her sons. She is even blind to the fact that her sons hate one another. Even though, her Tom was sadistic killer and gangster, she always welcomes him back lovingly with open arms. At the end of the movie, she gets a phone call saying that Tom will be coming home from the hospital, where he had been treated for a gunshot. She rushes upstairs to make his bed and get his room ready, when the doorbell rings and the rival gang drops of Tom’s gun riddled body. The other women who appear in the movie are portrayed as fast women who are sexual object to be enjoyed by Tom, until he gets tired of them and then throws them away. In one famous movie seen, Tom doesn’t appreciate what his mistress moll Kitty (played by Mae Clarke) said to him, so he wickedly squeezes half of a grapefruit into her face. She is left there belit... ...onnie & Clyde first premiered on the big screen. The female roles in The Public Enemy were stereotypical of the roles handed to women in the 1930’s and also conveyed the zeitgeist of society. During the 1960’s, as indicated by Bonnie & Clyde, there was the emergence of the women’s role as a central character of the plot, one who was just as capable and omnipotent as the male lead character. She was a character that would not be controlled by society’s norms or be held captive to male authority. It is safe to say that Bonnie & Clyde, helped redefined the role for women in crime and action films. Many recent films, such as Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven 1992), Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone 1993), and The Long Kiss Goodnight (Renny Harlin 1996), have emulated the strong, seductive leading role that Bonnie & Clyde helped define. It also helped further that idea that women can hold their own in the crime film genre, both in the box office and by public opinion, and through its innovation may have support ed the production of such preceding all-women crime films such as Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott 1991), Set It Off (F. Gary Gray 1996) and Bound (The Wachowski Brothers 1996).