Mentoring, Coaching, Consulting, And Counseling - 1013 Words

There are many forms of professional assistance that a client could seek. Each method can be equally effective depending on the situation. Client’s needs are important to identify, reason being is so you can decide what form of help is the best fit. In this essay, I will discuss mentoring, coaching, consulting, and counseling. I will provide examples of each and explain why each form is effective for each scenario. Mentoring is described as having experience or expertise in a field that you use to help someone with less experience/expertise (Welsh, E. T., Dixon, P. M.,2016). John just started a new job in a big corporation. He has been wanting to working this field, he has a passion for it and wants to learn as much as he can. He is new†¦show more content†¦Working together to find a way that works best for Harry. Doing some self-discovery could lead Harry in another direction or solidify his purpose. Consultants usually have a high level of expertise on a topic and have a method that has been proven to create change, an â€Å"answer†. If I was a consultant, I would provide you the method and you would follow the steps on your own (Lowman, R. L.,2007). Sam is a CEO of a retailer that sells home goods. Sam has been in the position for 3 years and believes he’s still learning. His first year the company was growing and they had a high profitability. Currently they are not growing and profitability is at a low. The retailer has 20 locations across Arizona, which is a large presence. Sam has been attempting to find a solution to his issue for 2 years now and nothing has changed. Sam has been trying to find out what the cause is for the low profitability is and trying to come up with a resolution for it, but hasn’t had any luck. The best fit to help Sam is a consultant. Sam could find a consultant that has expertise in company growth and high profitability. The y would go in and assess the situation and find the what and the how. What is causing the problem and how can we fix it. They would provide Sam with a guide and he would follow it. In Counseling, there is an emphasis on solving problems, touching on things in the past. One big objective in counseling is healing or fixingShow MoreRelatedBUS 499 Essay710 Words   |  3 Pagesenvironment to get a better understanding of what cultures are in the area. 7. INTERNAL OPERATIONS. Some of the services that will be offered are workshops designed for training, leadership, team building, coaching, mentoring, performance evaluation, conflicts and time management, counseling, ethics training, cultural awareness training, financial and budgeting training. Other services will include Human Resources management training to include recruitment process to help maintain a healthy workingRead MoreScanim Case Study 1 Essay example3553 Words   |  15 Pagesmethod will be examined. This will be followed by completing a Markov Model to determine HR Supply. Three developmental opportunities within succession management will follow next, namely job rotations, formal training and development, and mentoring and coaching. Finally, this paper will look at movement analysis as another method to ascertain HR Supply. INTRODUCTION As the Ontario HR Manager for Scanim, we are looking forward to starting our new Inbound Service and Warranty Claims ContractRead MoreCareer Management : Career Coaching3046 Words   |  13 Pagescareer counselling and coaching, however, there are many other factors that have a significant impact on where the coach sits on the spectrum. This essay will explore the theory behind the career counselling and coaching spectrum and examine in greater detail the impact of the client group on the coaching process. It will also address the influence of the coach’s perception of role and coaching boundaries; the psychology of coaching expertise; the impact of the coaching relationship and theRead MoreMou Section Ii: Problem Project Justification . The Primary1464 Words   |  6 Pagesprovide students with the missing supports that will help them develop a college-going mindset. Consistent with those goals, college readiness programs generally offer a series of comprehensive services, such as tutoring, financial literacy classes, coaching, college awareness and exposure, and cultural enrichment. Le et al. (2016), noted that factors associated with limited college participation include: inadequate academic preparation for college, lack of knowledge about financial aid, limited accessRead MoreEssay about BSBMGT 502B Manage People Performance3832 Words   |  16 Pagesplace in order to operate successfully. Its important to find the best methods of distribution, disbursement, and management of resources. Its also important to track the resources to determine whether their need is relevant and cost effective. By consulting with individuals it gives them ownership, allows them to contribute, and makes them aware of the goals and targets. What resources might be required in a business organisation? - Human resources. - Educational/training resources. - FinancialRead MoreBuilding A Facie Case For Retaliation1239 Words   |  5 Pagessexual harassment, recommend consulting with victim about what they feel would be a proper remedy. There is no obligation to take the recommendations but it makes the victim feel heard and it provides a good idea for where the victim is and how they feel about moving forward. Whatever corrective measures are chosen the victim should be told how the how the perpetrator(s) is being disciplined (Orlov and Roumell, 1999). Orlov and Roumell also recommend that counseling should be offered to the victimRead MoreHuman Resource Development at 3m7996 Words   |  32 PagesDesigning HRD programs 12 6. Methods to deliver training 14 7. Effective learning in physical environment 16 8. HRD evolution programs 17 9. HRD framework 18 10. Coaching 19 11. Skill for effective coaching 20 12. Employee assistance program 21 13. Career management amp; career development 22 14. Change agent 23 15. Future HRD program direction amp; objective †¦Error! BookmarkRead MoreDeloitte Touche: a Hole in the Pipeline1785 Words   |  8 Pagesand women has always been a strategic priority for the company. In Deloitte Touche were hired the best students, naturally half men and half women, soon after their graduation (in audit and tax services business) or after an MBA program (in the consulting business); they were trained and given a mentor. The new employees began as staff accountants, then they could become semi-senior, manager or senior manager and finally, after 10 to 12 years senior managers could obtain the major promotion: toRead MoreZappos Vs. American Express2686 Words   |  11 Pagessophisticated pay-for-performance system. Professional development of the employees of Amex is ensured by putting them into formal class instruction to job rotation, assignment sharing and cross-border training and business-unit opportunities, to career counseling to professional net working. 4.2 Management Development Programs Zappos: Zappos is an online retailer for shoes and clothing. Hence merchandising techniques are very important part of its business. Therefore, Zappos gives its employees a three-yearRead MoreProject Report on Employee Attrition14600 Words   |  59 Pagescustomized business solutions, Datacraft helps clients plan, build and support their IT infrastructures. Datacraft combines an expertise in networking, security, operating environments, storage and contact centre technologies, with advanced skills in consulting, integration and managed services, to craft IT solutions for businesses. A member of the Dimension Data Group, Datacraft is listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange, and is a component company of the Straits Times Index. Headquartered

Edgar Allan Poe Is A Master At Creating Suspenseful Horror

Edgar Allan Poe is a master at creating suspenseful horror stories that keep the audience entertained. Like any other stories, his include a conflict and a resolution, but his ability to take the reader on a journey with him through his literature and make us feel a certain mood makes him a unique writer with his own style. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, short stories by Poe, have similar ways of creating the mood which leads us to feel the way we do throughout the story. The use of the first person narrator perspective, the different settings within each story, and the time it takes to reach the climax are major factors that contribute to the mood. In â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, we have to recognize that Poe uses a first†¦show more content†¦Later in the story the narrator says, after committing the killing, â€Å"I smiled—for what I had to fear†¦I was singularly at ease† which reinforces the idea that he is in fact a psychopath because he feels no remorse for the foul evil deed he had just committed, thus causing more suspense (Poe, â€Å"Heart,† 7). The different settings in the story also create the mood. Poe brings his reader in within seconds, when he mentions the bright setting just as he mentions the dark settings. When the narrator first introduces us to the â€Å"Evil eye† we can picture it and it gives us a sense of horror. Poe then proceeds by describing how careful he was in entering the old man’s room, â€Å"And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently... And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head† (Poe, â€Å"Heart,† 3). Here the reader can picture this as if he/she was spectating the narrator, or was the narrator himself. The darkness, a fear of many readers, c an cause us to feel uneasy especially at the thought of someone creeping into our room while we sleep. On the eight night, the narrator â€Å"kept quiet and said nothing. For a whole hour ...† while creeping into the old man’s room once again and this engraves a feeling of fear and mystery to the reader just by thinking ofShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe and the Horror Story Essay1401 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"’Villains!’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! here, here! - It is the beating of his hideous heart!’†(Poe). Edgar Allan Poe, a brilliant writer and poet, is well known for his creation of the horror short story and mystery novel. He has written suspenseful short-stories such as â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† where in both stories it has the reader on edge till the very end. For example, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is about the main character taking care of anRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe and Gothic Imagery in The Cask of Amontillado2286 Words   |  10 Pages| The Significance of Imagery | In Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† | Lauren Grilli 6/7/2010 | Imagery is described as the ‘mental pictures’ one interprets from reading any type of literature; this can be done using any of the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Edgar Allan Poe is notorious for his use of dramatic imagery in the gothic genre. â€Å"Gothic literature has a number of conventions, including evocations of horror, suggestions of the supernatural, and dark

Summary on Affirmation of Social Media

Question: Discuss about the Summary on Affirmation of Social Media. Answer: Introduction: The advent of social media has taken a significant toll over the mundane lifestyle. A critical review has been carried out on the chosen topic which composes of the positivity of social media on teens and their parents. The summary follows a specific outline which reflects on the cause and factors of the influence of social media. In this age of rapid globalization, the affirmation of social media is a crucial factor. The positive impact of social media has far reaching effects that will effectively empower in the years to come. The priority of essentials has altered over the years. Due to colossal developments in science and technology there have been a range of innovations. In fact in the present spatial state, one cannot imagine surviving a day without using social media. People engage in social media, and identify them as social beings (Zillmann, Bryant and Huston 2013). In the same way, the young adults who ape their parents are being diverted into the similar culture and lifestyle. The groups of young adults belonging to this generation have abundance of resources at their end, making them technologically advanced than their previous generations. Often attributed with the vice of being left as a lonely and lazy individual, social media has been pitted more often than being complimented (Ferguson et al. 2014). Social studies reveal other positive impacts like recovering and maintaining self image issues (Best, Manktelow and Taylor 2014) 2014). In fact the high percentages revealed while conversing with the teens as how they depend upon social media in their daily lives for constructive use. There have been various instances where a parent thinks the access of their wards, to social media to be quite useful. There has been immense contradiction regarding the causative factors for SNS (Social Networking Sites) and SMT (Social Media Technology) (Kearney and Levine 2015). The purpose and limitations of social media must be explored in new perspectives rather than concluding a derogatory review for it. The sociological environment has altered much over the recent years (Best, Manktelow and Taylor 2014). Due to this, the terms of communication and human engagements have also included new prospects while retaining the conventional methods. Each era arrives and develops with its relevant characteristic (Madden et al. 2013). Therefore social media can be considered as one of the important feature of this age. Adhering to the culture of viral medium and networking sites, the social elements are adapting to the circumstances quite convincingly. The significant advantages of World Wide Web have been accepted universally (Zillmann, Bryant and Huston 2013). By the virtue of technology, unavailability is not a reason of concern anymore. The utility of Internet is no more limited to accessing rapid information for students and adolescents. In this regard, the trend of social media approvals, have massive consequences over the young minds (Ferguson et al. 2014). Studies have revealed that youn gsters are more prone to opening up to a stranger rather than a related acquaintance, which is a controversial input of social media. It facilitates communal grounds of harmony and friendship which is one of the positive aspects of social media (Kearney and Levine 2015). Significant events that have occurred in the recent past are evidences of how social media enhances mass agitation and public demonstrations. Social networking can also be productive in nature (Shapiro and Margolin 2014). The contemporary society has some defined requirements in term of the social stimulus. The positive affirmation is implicit to the point of dire and damaging cost (Madden et al. 2013). It is a social phenomenon observed mostly within the youngsters, but it boils down to everyone becoming a part of this social networking framework (Shapiro and Margolin 2014). Young minds are quickly fascinated with appreciation and approvals. The vivid example can be drawn from the comments section in one such social sites which collects validations from the exiting society in terms of a picture or video. The represented image helps in recreating a certain value to the individual or the youngster (Kearney and Levine 2015). Focusing on this consciousness many other relevant issues can be employed through this medium which will catch the attention of the people. The bent of mind which they portray have fluctuating tendencies, which needs special care. One of the many concrete reasons that influence the young kids is preserving their emotional balance through this online forum. Online communities are the new admiration clubs (Zillmann, Bryant and Huston 2013). The influence of social media also aids in emergent situations to connect communities. A new perspective often allows viewing social media affects in a consummate way. In terms of physical beauty and wit it accelerates their self confidence and provides opportunities for improving (Kearney and Levine 2015). Therefore the summary can be concluded on a positive note. Social media is a vast phenomenon which has many aspects that are yet to be discovered. Experiments like social media are likely to take place more among the young kids. The utility are varied in nature which composes of both the merits as well as demerits. It has major effects on their psychology which have been reflected in the above discussion. Rather the current trend of social media and virtual medium are applied in every aspects of life for swift results. Over the last century all the resources have been put to use and social media has emerged as the winner in this category. Effective use of social media has undoubtedly made life easier and convenient. Amidst all the negative impacts, the affirmation of social media too persists in this scenario which has been referred in the discussion. Reference Best, P., Manktelow, R. and Taylor, B., 2014. Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review.Children and Youth Services Review,41, pp.27-36. Ferguson, C.J., Muoz, M.E., Garza, A. and Galindo, M., 2014. Concurrent and prospective analyses of peer, television and social media influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in adolescent girls.Journal of youth and adolescence,43(1), pp.1-14. Kearney, M.S. and Levine, P.B., 2015. Media influences on social outcomes: the impact of MTV's 16 and pregnant on teen childbearing.The American Economic Review,105(12), pp.3597-3632. Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., Smith, A. and Beaton, M., 2013. Teens, social media, and privacy.Pew Research Center,21. Shapiro, L.A.S. and Margolin, G., 2014. Growing up wired: Social networking sites and adolescent psychosocial development.Clinical child and family psychology review,17(1), pp.1-18. Zillmann, D., Bryant, J. and Huston, A.C., 2013.Media, children, and the family: social scientific, psychodynamic, and clinical perspectives. Routledge.

Pornography -- Sex Or Subordination Essays - Pornography

Pornography -- Sex or Subordination? In the late Seventies, America became shocked and outraged by the rape, mutilation, and murder of over a dozen young, beautiful girls. The man who committed these murders, Ted Bundy, was later apprehended and executed. During his detention in various penitentiaries, he was mentally probed and prodded by psychologist and psychoanalysts hoping to discover the root of his violent actions and sexual frustrations. Many theories arose in attempts to explain the motivational factors behind his murderous escapades. However, the strongest and most feasible of these theories came not from the psychologists, but from the man himself, "as a teenager, my buddies and I would all sneak around and watch porn. As I grew older, I became more and more interested and involved in it, [pornography] became an obsession. I got so involved in it, I wanted to incorporate [porn] into my life, but I couldn't behave like that and maintain the success I had worked so hard for. I generated an alter-ego to fulfill my fantasies under-cover. Pornography was a means of unlocking the evil I had burried inside myself" (Leidholdt 47). Is it possible that pornography is acting as the key to unlocking the evil in more unstable minds? According to Edward Donnerstein, a leading researcher in the pornography field, "the relationship between sexually violent images in the media and subsequent aggression and . . . callous attitudes towards women is much stonger statistically than the relationship between smoking and cancer" (Itzin 22). After considering the increase in rape and molestation, sexual harassment, and other sex crimes over the last few decades, and also the corresponding increase of business in the pornography industry, the link between violence and pornogrpahy needs considerable study and examination. Once the evidence you will encounter in this paper is evaluated and quantified, it will be hard not come away with the realization that habitual use of pornographic material promotes unrealistic and unattainable desires in men that can leac to violent behavior toward women. In order to properly discuss pornography, and be able to link it to violence, we must first come to a basic and agreeable understanding of what the word pornography means. The term pornogrpahy originates from two greek words, porne, which means harlot, and graphein, which means to write (Webster's 286). My belief is that the combination of the two words was originally meant to describe, in literature, the sexual escapades of women deemed to be whores. As time has passed, this definition of pornography has grown to include any and all obscene literature and pictures. At the present date, the term is basically a blanket which covers all types of material such as explicit literature, photography, films, and video tapes with varying degrees of sexual content. For Catherine Itzin's research purposes pornogrpahy has been divided into three categories: The sexually explicit and violent; the sexually explicit and nonviolent, but subordinating and dehumanizing; and the sexually explicit, nonviolent, and nonsubordinating that is based upon mutuality. The sexually explicit and violent is graphic, showing penetration and ejaculation. Also, it shows the violent act toward a woman. The second example shows the graphic sexual act and climax, but not a violent act. This example shows the woman being dressed is a costume or being ?talked down' to in order to reduce her to something not human; such as a body part or just something to have sex with, a body opening or an orifice. Not only does ?erotica' show the entire graphic sexual act, it also depicts an attraction between two people. Her research consistently shows that harmful effects are associated with the first two, but that the third ?erotica', is harmless (22). These three categories basically exist as tools of discerning content. Although sometimes they overlap without a true distinction, as in when the film is graphic in the sexual act and also in violence, but shows the act as being a mutual activity between the people participating. In my view, to further divide pornography, it is possible to break it down into even simpler categories: soft and hard core pornography. Hard core pornography is a combination of the sexually explicit and violent and the sexually explicit and nonviolent, but subordinating and dehumanizing categories, previously discussed. Soft core pornography is thought to be harmless and falls into the category known as ?erotica'; which is the category based on mutuality. In hard core pornogrpahy, commonly rated XXX, you can see graphic depiction's of violent sexual acts usually with a man or group of men, deriving sexual gratification from the degradation of a woman. You can also see women participating in demoralizing sexual behavior among themselves for the gratification of men. In a triple-X movie all physical aspects are shown, such as extreme

Interview Essays

Interview Essays Interview Essay Interview Essay Jean Pierre Peguero Interview Environmental factors do have a great impact on the development of a persons life view. Throughout life we Learn new things, go through trials and tribulations, and overcome hardships. All the things we experience and go through in life help form and shape the way we look and live our life’s. â€Å"Influence may be the highest level of human skills. † I conducted an interview with a good family friend of mine Jose-Luis DeJesus. Jose-Luis is of Puerto Rican descent. He works as a registered nurse at Brigham and Womens Hospital. We differ from age, up bringing, religion and our career paths are complete opposites. His age is 55 years old and I am 22 Years old, which makes that a 38 year difference to me. Our up-bringing was different on the count of I was brought up more modernized than him, Jose-Luis grew up his early years working on a farm. Our religions are also different. Jose-Luis religion is christianity, and is a dedicated church goer. I on the other hand, am Un-decided and dont believe much in religions. Jose-Luis chose to be a nurse as his career path because helping people is what he likes to do. I chose graphic design as my career path because i want to leave a mark visually on this earth. The highest dollar check I could get now in high school basketball would Just depend on what school I went to and what their budget is, but more than likely a coaching Job in Texas for high school would pay more than a high school coaching Job in Oklahoma. The pros of teaching and coaching are that you can make sure that your players are being more respectful in class, keeping up in their classes, and getting to be around them more because like I said once basketball season starts there like my family he said. Coach Thomlinson said he oes an occasional summer school for students who have failed and need to make up classes for some extra money but other than that the wife Just brings in the big bucks. If I could do it all over again I would definitely choose this profession because day in and day out it might not pay as well as other Jobs or some nights might be a lot rougher than others but the feeling you get when youre helping the kids on your team get to play the game they love and teaching them about the game they play couldnt be traded in for anything in the world I think

Evaluate an existing, national marketing campaign Essays

Evaluate an existing, national marketing campaign Essays Evaluate an existing, national marketing campaign Essay Evaluate an existing, national marketing campaign Essay Essay Topic: Marketing The campaign that I have chosen to discuss is the next big hit from the Rockstar series â€Å"Max Payne†. This is the third instalment of the series and it’s set to be bigger and better than its predecessors. The advertising campaign the campaign had budget of just over  £15milion. The game was set to be released on the 15th of May 2012 with the campaign beginning on the 15th of February. It was an international campaign covering most economically developed countries. However though out this report I will be only talking about how it was advertised in the UK. The campaign with a budget of over  £15 million was always going to be huge and with the UK being one of their main focuses not a penny less than necessary was spent. The promotional mix consisted of Cinema adverts, bus shelters, billboards as well as TV and Newspapers. The Cinema advert used the soundtrack Tears by Health. The advert was the centre of the campaign as this would be seen by the majority of people and has the possibility of making the biggest impression upon the viewer. The billboards as seen in the top right corner were also very important. Rockstar used many designs for their billboards and could be seen in all the big cities around the UK with many in Southampton, Liverpool and London. Bus shelters were used especially in smaller towns. For example in Farnborough the main bus route had a Max Payne poster on all their stops. This means that the campaign was very large giving the game a much better chance of receiving high numbers of sales. The Target audience for this advert would of course be the same as to which the game was made. This being a third person shooter game containing drugs, sex and violence would be aimed at teenagers and young adults. The gender this game would mainly appeal to is male. Therefore the games advertising campaign would be very masculine and of a nature that suits young adults. For example the billboard seen above is very aggressive with big bold font and a bit of action as well. In the Max Payne campaign they would be very specific with the jargon used making sure it appeals to the target audience. An example of this would be â€Å"Rockstar Games Presents†. This is used in the adverts and billboards because it is something that people can represent and associate themselves with. For example if people have brought Rockstar games before then they will know what they are like and if they have a high opinion then they may be more likely to by the game being launched. Other jargon such as â€Å"from the makers of Red Dead Redemption† also has this effect as well as also allowing people who don’t know Rockstar but instead know the game. The livery used in this campaign is also very affective as mentioned earlier the billboard pictured above uses big font that stand out. The colour is white which makes it very clear on the background. It could also represent how Max Payne being a hard down by victim losing his son and wife is pure at heart. The image in the background is also very important as it shows who Max Payne is so people can associate the character created with the game. It also has a very realistic feel to the billboard. It appears to almost be a billboard for a film. This represents that the game will have a very realistic approach/feel to its game play. The objective of Rockstar is to create a brand in which people can associate with the best of gaming. The campaign definitely try’s to create this image. For example in the TV advert they use very powerful imagery of game play to show of the amazing affects alongside deep moments in the story to engage the audience and draw them in. As already mentioned the campaign has an almost movie like feel to it creating a very realistic game that attracts the target audience. Overall I think the campaign is very effective as it is very appealing to its target audience which I can agree because of being who the game is aimed at. The realistic approach makes it seem like the game would be very real which not ever playing it I cant agree with. However on reading reviews it has very high praise. The livery and the jargon used within the promotional mix are also in my opinion very effective. In conclusion a highly successful campaign especially as it currently stand 2nd in the UK sales chart.

When are people justified in rebelling from a government Essay

When are people justified in rebelling from a government - Essay Example Simply put, whenever a government fails to keep up the social contract it has with the citizens, rebellion against that government becomes justified according to Locke and that rebellion is not illegal or unjust. Therefore, it is important to understand the social contract, the idea of rebellion and how Locke sees the legitimacy of government for any student of History, sociology and even philosophy. Additionally, comparisons can be made in terms of how other philosophers such as Hobbes have seen the legitimacy of government as opposed to Locke to fully understand the position Locke takes on what a government should do to keep the social contract. The social contract theory is a common concept used in many different fields such as political science, economics and sociology. It basically suggests that there is a contract which exists between the state and the individuals who are part of the state regarding their individual rights and privileges. A social contract can also exist between a company/organization and its members or a social group and the participants of the group. The idea of a social contract has been developed and expanded greatly by philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke amongst many others (Wikipedia, 2006). However, the Ideas of Locke are very important in this case because he was the first to establish the criteria for a social contract and then establish the course a people should take up if their own government does not uphold its end of the bargain. Hobbes was the earlier of the two philosophers and outlined his ideas concerning a social contract in his magnum opus titled Leviathan. Hobbes suggests that the natural inclination of mankind breaks men into strong and weak. The strength of a strong man may come from his physical abilities or his mental prowess but in either case, he has an advantage over the weak. However, this

Lighthouse international website review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lighthouse international website review - Article Example Lighthouse International is a website for a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and services on various types of vision related problems. It was founded in New York in 1905 and was one of the first institutions of its time that offered vision rehabilitation services. Throughout the century, it increased its functions and extended its services globally. It began with a goal to prevent blindness and evolved into a mission to assist those with a vision issues to function normally in mainstream society. Its facilities cover research, offer rehab services, and educate both those with vision impairments and professionals. Lighthouse International also is a leading advocate for vision healthcare on both the state and federal level.Information on the website is very easy to find as the site is user-friendly and well organized. The layout of the Home Page is uncluttered and welcoming yet it gives a summary direction to various services offered on the entire site. "Get t he Facts", "Get Help Today", "What's New". This means that a person just arriving on the page does not have to search long to find what interests him or her. The tabs at the top with self explanatory titles also easily direct a user to their destination - "Home, About, Vision Health, Vision Services, Our Schools, Research, and Donate". The Search field on the sidebar also helps a user find their topic of interest. Since this is a site about vision it makes sense that there will be a function that adjusts the size of the print for the comfort of the reader. The "Help Near You" widget addresses users that arrive at the site from around the world. After filling in the appropriate values, the site will give the address and contact information in the country indicated. These first three widgets remain the same on each (Last Name) 2 page that is viewed whereas, the information that follows varies according the content of the page. It is to be noted that most of the tabbed pages are introductions themselves to further information. For example, the tab "Vision Health", lists all the services available to all groups. Each service is a link that takes the reader to another page with the specific information requested. At the end of each page, is an email address that allows the reader to request even more information for their particular need. This design is very appealing as it keeps each page fairly short and manageable. For a website on vision, it is interesting there is not much color on many of the pages. The body of the text is a light color background with black font and deep blue links. The side bar is the inverse, with a deep blue background, and white font. This website itself provides the explanation for this lack of color via one of their links (Home > Accessibility > Effective Color Contrast). Contrasts are easier to read than colors of a similar hue. In other words, the website, although not visually stimulating, is designed for the reading ease for the majority of its readers. It is still neat and attractive with punches of color in either the photographs or the logos. The photographs themselves add interest and are appropriately related to the page content. The Lighthouse International website is specifically designed to cater to those with an interest in vision related matters. It is useful for those with problems looking for answers or assistance. This audience would be the general public, no matter what profession or age. It also offers a portal for those who want to donate and assist in the advancement of vision related research. One tab is dedicated to donations and events that raise funds for the continuation of Lighthouse International's work. The catchy heading "Be a Visionary PhilanthropistDonate Now", is a clever play on words: the funds will not only be for the advancement of research in the field of vision but to support the foresight and imagination of the two sisters who founded the company. In order to attract

Midterm Exam Essay Example for Free

Midterm Exam Essay 1. Cross-sectional study involves the observation of some subset of a population of items all at the same time. Groups can be compared at different ages with respect to independent variables. This study differs from the longitudinal study because it takes place at a single point in time. In a longitudinal study, the same observations are made over different periods usually spanning several years. This type of study looks into developments and trends across generations or life spans. Cross-sectional studies can be used when a researcher has time constraints; usually this method is done in expedition trips which look at a certain group in a matter of several weeks to months. One weakness of this approach is that it does not encompass the changes over time. This becomes the strength of the longitudinal method of study. It can trace the development of a certain phenomenon or fad thru its infancy up until the time it disappears, one downside though is that it required a lot of time and effort to complete. 2. Down syndrome is caused by an abnormal cell division of the 21st chromosome. The problem occurs when there is extra genetic material from the said chromosome and is responsible for the characteristic features and developmental problems of Down syndrome. Down syndrome has several symptoms or characteristics, most common of all are: flattened facial features, protruding tongue, small head, upward slanting eyes which are unusual for the child’s ethnic group, and unusually shaped ears. Down syndrome carries with it several risks which include heart defects, leukemia, and proneness to infectious diseases, dementia, and other problems such as gastrointestinal blockage, poor vision, or hearing loss. 3. One of the most striking risks of infants with low birth rates is that they have a 25% chance of dying before reaching the age of one. These infants also have increased risk of long term disability and impaired development, usually in terms of motor and social development. Cigarette smokers and black people are the ones which are most likely to have low birth weight infants compared to other social classes. 4. One of the most important benefits of breast feeding is that it is the best source of nutrition for the first six months of life. It contains appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and provides digestive enzymes, minerals, vitamins and most importantly, hormones that infants require. The milk from the mother also contains antibodies which shield the baby from infections. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ear infections, stomach infections, and digestive problems such as constipation, skin diseases, allergy problems, and hospitalizations during the first year of life. In addition, breastfed babies may have less risk of becoming overweight or developing high blood pressure, diabetes, iron-deficiency anemia, and tooth decay. Breastfeeding in poor countries such as those in Africa is very important because infants that are not breastfed are 5 times more likely to die from infections in the first two months of life. This is important considering that these countries do not have proper medical care for these children. 5. Piaget discusses four important factors of cognitive change, namely the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. In the sensorimotor stage, infants are born with a set of congenital reflexes that allow them to float in the heavily dense world, in addition to a drive to explore their world. In the preoperational stage, children demonstrate sparse and logically inadequate mental operations, in this stage, the child learns to use and represent objects by images and words. There are two stages, the preconceptual and the intuitive. In the preconceptual stage, the child is marked by egocentric thinking and animistic though, while in the intuitive stage, the child starts employing mental activities to solve problems and obtain goals. In the concrete operational stage, the child learns how to use his/her logic in tackling problems; however, children can only solver problems that apply to actual objects or events. Finally, in the formal operation stage, the child acquires the ability to think abstractly and draw logical and reasonable conclusions from the information available. 6. Types of children can be described using Thomas and Chess’ model of temperament. One of these types are shy children, these children are more or less inactive, suffering from less predictable manner, have low distractibility, pulls back and cries when exposed to new things and strangers, not easily adaptive, low attention span, low levels of response, unfriendly behavior, and take little notice of changes in stimulation. Fearful children exhibit most of the negative criteria in the model of temperament, most obvious of which in their approach/avoidance. Fearful children tend to pull back and cry sometimes even if the said stimuli are reintroduced (meaning it has been seen by the child before). Aggressive children on the other hand exhibit such traits as an increased devotion to an activity, and have intense reactions when offered stimuli. 7. There are four attachment classifications, secure, anxious avoidant, anxious resistant and disorganized. In secure attachment, the amount of care is both consistent and sufficient giving the child security everytime the parent is around, even in the presence of strangers because the child knows that the parent is there to protect and guide him/her. In the anxious-resistant type, care given by the parent is not consistent because the child is often wary of strangers until the parents return, it means that the parent cares for the child, but is not around all the time. In the anxious-avoidant insecure attachment, the amount of care given by the parent is both inconsistent and insufficient given that the child ignores or avoids the parent. In the disorganized attachment, the care given is either classified by the child as frightening or comes from someone who is frightened. This is caused by either a frightened caregiver, or a very aggressive caregiver. 8. Three language development theories will be compared and contrasted, Chomsky’s language acquisition device, Piaget’s cognitive constructivism, and Vygotsky’s social contructivism and language. Chomsky and Piaget sees language as something which comes with birth, Chomsky and Piaget both focused on how the child developed a language, for Chomsky, he supposes that the ability to learn language is inborn in the form of a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). He was not able to take enough account of the influences of cognition and language have on each other’s development. In Piaget’s case, he argues that cognitive development preceded language. He focused more on the child’s cognitive development and attributes it the child’s way of representing their familiar worlds. While for Vygotsky, his main concern was the relationship between the development of thought and language, his theory melded together Chomsky and Piaget’s theory and combined them to form his theory that language is first a means of social communication, then gradually promotes both language and cognition.

The Fathers Rights in Child Custody Issues Essay -- essays research p

The Father's Rights in Child Custody Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States today more than one-half of all marriages end in divorce. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reason why women have typically received custody of the children far more often than the fathers. In order to better understand child custody one must first examine how fathers have often times been left out of the picture, and conversely why mothers have had such hard times raising children on their own. This paper will first examine the perspective of a father who has lost custody of his children. A Fathers Perspective   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to many the custody of a child should be determined with the best interest of the child in mind. However, it is not easy for a judge to make such an important decision in such a short amount of time with limited information. Smith (2004) stated that, the simple fact of being a mother does not indicate a willingness or capacity to render a quality of care different than that which a father can provide. Some might argue that what Reynolds (2004) calls deadbeat dads, or in other words fathers who refuse to pay their child support, are often times confused with Turnips, who are ex-spouses who can not afford to pay child support. One example of a turnip is a father who is in prison; he is obviously not making money while he is on the inside. Now an example of a deadbeat dad is when the father is enjoying all the finer things in life and he cannot reach far enough into his...

The Driving Age Should Be Rasied to 18

NZ young people are increasingly proving that they are too immature, too irresponsible to get behind the steering wheel of a car. Instead of cleaning up after young drivers who have crashed, or advertising against student drunk drivers, the Gov. t could put more money into public transport so youth wouldn't have to drive to work. 15 are far too young, and it definitely should be raised. Remember – a driving license is a privilege not a right, as some of you think it is†¦Not only should the driving age be lifted to 18, there should be more draconian restrictions in place during the licensing period. Road safety should be compulsory in schools from an early age. Bicyclists should be licensed, as party of attaining a full ‘drivers' license – having completed the bicycle module, the applicant must then spend a compulsory period on the treadle; the next step will be a basic motor scooter/motorcycle course, followed by another compulsory period riding either a scoo ter or restricted output motorbike.Having completed these modules, an applicant may then apply for permission to be considered for a ‘full' driver's license – the process of attaining such should NOT be easy; too many of us consider piloting two tonnes of death down our highways at lethal speeds to be a ‘right', when it is, in fact, a responsibility. And, time and again, we continue to prove that we are not responsible beings. 15 year old minds are not able to link cause with effect and therefore are not mature enough to hold a drivers licence. The age for driver’s licences should be raised to 18.In conjunction with this, the money spent on safe driving advertising campaigns (which are proven to be ineffective) should be spent instead on public transport systems. The young kids are too irresponsible to be driving at anything less than 18. The school leaving age should be 18 too. I think the driving age should be raised to 18 because†¦ young people stri ve to take opportunities that take advantage of something†¦ everyone knows is big. They think that they can tackle the road by the horns, knowing that their 15 years old, confidence is more powerful than common sense in such early development.Basically, the number '15' makes young teenagers react like they have the experience†¦ when they don't. Privacy and Freedom sometimes lets kids go all cocky because they want to impress a cute girl or a group of wannabe gangsters. Here is a question. How do you keep your kids at home? And here is the answer. Let the air out of their tires. Or let them wait until age 18 before being able to drive. I agree. Let's face it. Anything under 18 is still a child. Even a lot of 18 yr. olds are still kids really. However (especially in Auckland) they need a good public transport system as an option.Also another option is to restrict the ownership (and driveability) of vehicles to people under the age of say 25 to a certain horsepower. Jap impor ts are so cheap. I've seen teenage (looking anyway) people driving Subaru's that have at least a couple of hundred kilowatts-that my friends is a recipe for disaster. Earn your right to drive a performance car. A full license should only be able to be obtained at the age of 17-18. You should really be in school until this age and there is no need to being able to get to work. If you do have a part time job, jump on a bike or if too lazy for that, get a scooter.Also I have never understood the point of learner, restricted and full licenses. No one follows these rules anyway, how many learners don't we see on the roads without any supervision? The attitude towards cars and driving in NZ is all wrong and the penalties are far too soft. I totally agree with the above comment that the young kids are too irresponsible to be driving at anything less than 18. The school leaving age should be 18 too. I've been a teenager and I certainly thought I was old enough to concur the world, but looki ng back I know now how immature I was.Although it is required to have better and cheaper public transport in place. If this is obtained we may see fewer cars on the roads altogether which would benefit in so many other ways as well. It has been shown that a lot of youth are not aware of their actions and drink driving, by increasing this age, the number of car crashes should decrease. Anyone under 18 is not responsible enough to be in control of something that can kill people. I think that adulthood should be defined as 18 at which point everything that is currently prohibited based on age can become available.

Laozi and Dao Essay

1, Superficially understanding Laozi’s ideas, â€Å"those who know do not talk; / those who talk do not know† (56), are a bit conventional during his period time. It seems like that sages should try to follow the path of solitary, pretending to be ignorant and hide their talents to stay out of troubles. But we should think much deeper because Laozi’s wisdom is extremely profound that it is difficult for us to understand it. I think that â€Å"those who know do not talk;/ those who talk do not know† means that sage does not need to show off their talents. In Laozi, if a person is true erudite or intelligent, he himself will unify with what he learns and understands; I mean that everything a sage does can show how wise he is—a sage himself is wisdom itself. Laozi himself focuses more on how to live as an erudite person, act as an erudite person rather than talk as an erudite person. Related to Chinese tradition, Laozi prefers people who are humble and low-key but not ostentatious and hard-edged. So, Laozi writes about Dao instead of talking it; he believes that Dao itself is the truth which truly exists and does not need to be publicized by preaching. 2ï ¼Å'Confucius’ ideas of Dao focus more on ourselves, but Laozi’s Dao is more receptive, including the rules of everything in the universe. â€Å"An educated gentleman cannot but be resolute and broad—minded, for he has taken up a heavy responsibility and a long course. Is it not a heavy responsibility which is to practice benevolence? Is it not a long course, which will end only with his death?† (The Analects). Confucius thinks that no matter how difficult it is, man can make their will the will of the universe if they perform in the right ritual; that is the reason why Chinese emperor Wu (one of the most ambitious and powerful emperors in Chinese history) of Han dynasty decides to confucianize the whole China. Unlike Confucius, Laozi thinks that Dao decides what is possible and what is impossible, maybe possible can become impossible, but it should follow the rules of Dao; human being cannot force the impossible become possible. The biggest difference between Laozi and Confucius is that Confucius knows the past, now, but he does not know future, so everyone need to struggle now for future; Laozi  knows past, now and future because he knows that everything follows the Dao so he prefers that everyone should enjoys now and does not worry about future because it has already been decided by Dao.

Free Essays on Acquisition Theories

Second Language Acquisition Theories It has been repeatedly shown in many theories that the way in which people learn secondary and tertiary languages are similar to the way people lean their primary language. Chomsky looked at syntax within languages and helped to provide a natural resource in terms of structuring research techniques and line of questioning. In studies concerning children it was found that the social environment affects language acquisition. It s also found that there is also a significant connection between language and culture. Behaviorists focus on the audiolingual method in which children first listen and speak prior to learning to read and write (drill and practice). Innatists believe in creative constructive theory in which children acquiring the second language construct their rules for the second language similar to that of their primary language. Krashen as five hypotheses concerning acquisition of a second language; these include: 1.The acquisition hypothesis which states that there is a difference between acquiring and learning a second language. 2.The monitor hypothesis, which states that when a person formally learns a language, they develop and internal grammar check. 3.The natural order hypothesis which is the belief that there is a natural process when learning a new language. 4.The input hypothesis which states when one is acquiring a language, they must understand the language, its context and be aware that there are things that they do not know yet. 5.The affective filter hypothesis states that social-emotional variables such as student motivation, minimal anxiety, self confidence and self esteem can benefit the process of acquiring a second language.... Free Essays on Acquisition Theories Free Essays on Acquisition Theories Second Language Acquisition Theories It has been repeatedly shown in many theories that the way in which people learn secondary and tertiary languages are similar to the way people lean their primary language. Chomsky looked at syntax within languages and helped to provide a natural resource in terms of structuring research techniques and line of questioning. In studies concerning children it was found that the social environment affects language acquisition. It s also found that there is also a significant connection between language and culture. Behaviorists focus on the audiolingual method in which children first listen and speak prior to learning to read and write (drill and practice). Innatists believe in creative constructive theory in which children acquiring the second language construct their rules for the second language similar to that of their primary language. Krashen as five hypotheses concerning acquisition of a second language; these include: 1. The acquisition hypothesis which states that there is a difference between acquiring and learning a second language. 2. The monitor hypothesis, which states that when a person formally learns a language, they develop and internal grammar check. 3. The natural order hypothesis which is the belief that there is a natural process when learning a new language. 4. The input hypothesis which states when one is acquiring a language, they must understand the language, its context and be aware that there are things that they do not know yet. 5. The affective filter hypothesis states that social-emotional variables such as student motivation, minimal anxiety, self confidence and self esteem can benefit the process of acquiring a second language....

ESL Lesson Plain for a Class Job Fair

ESL Lesson Plain for a Class Job Fair Putting on a class job fair is a fun way of exploring English skills related to employment. The following lesson plan extends much further than just a lesson. This series of exercises can be used over approximately three to five hours of classroom time and takes students from a general exploration of jobs students might be interested in, through vocabulary related to specific positions, into discussions of ideal employees and, finally, through the job application process. The class can be fun or focus on working on professional skills development. Students will learn a wide range of vocabulary related to work skills, as well as practice conversational skills, tense usage, and pronunciation. This series of exercises include using an informational employment website. I recommend using the Occupational Outlook Handbook, but for more general classes its a good idea to visit a listing of unique jobs that students might find more interesting. Jobsmonkey has a unique jobs page which lists a number of fun jobs. Aim: Develop, extend and practice work-skills related vocabulary Activity: In-class Job Fair Level: Intermediate through advanced Outline Write a number of professions on the board or brainstorm as a class. Its a good idea to have a mix of professions in order to generate a wider range of vocabulary (fire fighter, manager, engineer, programmer).Have a quick discussion of each type of profession. What skills does each profession require? What would they have to do? What type of person should they be? Etc.Put students in pairs or small groups and pass out the adjectives matching sheet. Ask students to match each adjective to a definition. Help students by making descriptions of professionals who are diligent, precise, etc.Correct as a class. Ask students to discuss which professions would require which characteristics using the vocabulary they have learned.Discuss as a class, or have students each stand-up and give an answer for the profession of their choice.Ask students what type of job they (would like to) have. Using one students job as an example, navigate to the Occupational Outlook Handbook or similar job descript ion site. Search for or choose the students position, and navigate the resources provided. Its a good idea to focus on the What do they do? section, as students will learn vocabulary related to the profession. Make sure the students get the url for any job site you recommend. Provide the worksheet on finding an ideal job. Students should name the job, write a brief overview of the job, as well as do research on the principal responsibilities of the job they have chosen.With their research in hand, have students pair up and interview each other about the jobs they have chosen.Ask students to find a partner to write up job fair advertisement. Together students will decide which job theyd like to create an announcement for.Using their informational sheets, ask students to create a job advertisement to announce a job opening based on the materials below. Provide large sheets of paper, colored markers, scissors and any other necessary equipment. If possible, students can print out or cut out pictures to accompany their poster.Students post their job advertisements up for other students to browse. Each student should choose at least two jobs theyd like to interview for.As a class, brainstorm typical questions they might be asked in an interview. Discuss possibl e answers with students. Get students back into the job poster pairs. Have each pair write up at least five interview questions about their position using their original information sheets including work duties.Have your job fair! It will be chaotic, but everyone will get a chance to practice using vocabulary they have learned throughout this activity. The job fair can be free form, or you can have students trade off roles at intervals.To expand the job interviewing of the aspect use this job interviewing practice lesson. Match each adjective to its definition bravedependablediligenthard workingintelligentoutgoingpersonableprecisepunctual someone who is always on timesomeone who can work steadily and with accuracysomeone who gets along well with otherssomeone who people like to likesomeone who people can trustsomeone who is smartsomeone who works hardsomeone who doesnt make mistakes Can you think of more? Answers punctual - someone who is always on timediligent - someone who can work steadily and with accuracyoutgoing - someone who gets along well with otherspersonable - someone who people like to likedependable - someone who people can trustintelligent - someone who is smarthard working - someone who works hardbrave - someone who isnt afraidprecise - someone who doesnt make mistakes Job Worksheet Questions Which job did you choose? Why did you choose it? What type of person should do this job? What do they do? Please describe with at least five sentences describing the positions responsibilities.

Are People Better Informed in the Information Society (responses) Assignment

Are People Better Informed in the Information Society (responses) - Assignment Example The results from the study showed that children who utilized the internet performed better in their standardized tests, as well as, achieving higher GPA’a. Therefore, it would be wrong to argue that media and the internet have negative effects on individuals. Evidently, as technology is evolving, people will be able to better accommodate communication aspects, as well as, other preferences. Contrarily, Bauerlein Mark believes that the internet has numerous negative effects on children. This is because of the fact that kids are becoming addicted to the internet. This is attributable to the fact that almost ninety percent of the students utilize five hours and below reading books in one week. However, 30% of these students use six hours every week surfing and communicating online. This argument shows that the internet is not From the arguments presented, it is apparent that the internet offers a lot of facts to children thus making them better informed. Despite the agreements and disagreements presented, technology will continue t advance and are the people utilizing it. This means that better technology will lead to accessibility of more information. This is because of the fact that technology challenges people to improve their lives thus getting better

Cultural communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural communication - Essay Example iously, the politician was attempting to tap into the cultural code of the working class, less educated sort of people that regularly use the term â€Å"redd up.† Since he was running for local government, he was able to use this very regional term, whereas a politician running for state senate or any higher position wouldn’t dare use this term, especially considering that people outside of this region would have no idea what this term meant. By using this term, the politician was saying, â€Å"hey, look at me, I’m just an ordinary person, not like the typical fancy pants politician that you can’t trust as far as you can throw.† One of my friends told me that he tried very hard to lose his â€Å"eh† that he was used to employ in his speech. His family had just moved from Canada, and one of the first things that the kids in his school noticed was his tendency to end sentences with the word â€Å"eh.† It identified him as an outsider, somebody that did not belong to where he currently was. Being a new comer at a new place was difficult enough for him and he worked very hard on assimilating to the local dialect. Beyond dropping â€Å"eh†, he also worked to reduce the drastically different vowel sounds, he used for words like â€Å"coach.† Especially considering the clique-ish nature of schoolchildren, my friend was trying to fit into the cultural code of his new school and country. The author notices acutely the extent to which his parents struggle with English, when speaking with white people. They seem very strained whenever they have to speak English and hypersensitive to any mistakes they might be making, at least to the five-year-old author. Their inability to speak English fluently places them in a different cultural code form their neighbors. The author has a hard time thinking of Spanish as a language as anything other than what is spoken at home. He refers to it as a â€Å"private† language, a language that is only spoken at home and never in public

I am not sure about the subject that i used, but you have to put the Assignment

I am not sure about the subject that i used, but you have to put the right subject for each - Assignment Example This comes in the wake of different cases around the nation where officers are seen to manhandle or mistreat people from minority groups, with some even leading to the death of the said individuals (Schmidt 1). The issue of hate crimes has been a topic that is often discussed in hushed tones in various areas in the United States. In yet another different online article, The Guardian dated 10 Feb. 2015, three individuals were sentenced to prison for alleged hate crimes that led to the death of one James Craig Anderson. In the wake of these allegations, it later emerged that a group of white people would go to Jackson to pester, harass, and assault black people. Others were waiting sentencing stemming from the same hate crimes and conspiracy to do the same against nonwhites (AP 1). After a series of attacks by both white police officers and civilians, it has become necessary for major newspapers around the nation to highlight what is happening, and what should be done about it. It is clear that race is still an issue that most people are battling with, and with the rising number of cases, the attitude and mentality of everyone involved needs to change. This is for the betterment of society and everyone involved in making it prosper. It is my belief that whenever minority groups hear of such cases, there is bound to be traces of anger, bitterness, and resentment towards the other race, especially when perpetrators are not brought to book. It is about time people realize that society is made up of all races, and not just the whites. Associated Press, Jackson Mississippi. â€Å"Three sentenced in Mississippi for ‘Hate Crime’ Murder of Black Man.† The Guardian 10 Feb. 2015. Print. Schmidt, Michael S. â€Å"F.B.I. Director to Give Speech Addressing Relations between Police and

The Role of Emotion Focussed Theory in Functional Assessment Essay Example for Free

The Role of Emotion Focussed Theory in Functional Assessment Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this essay , I am elaborating on the types of psychotherapy which have persisted for generations and which have undergone favourable changes over the years, conforming to the opinions of great psychoanalysts who have written a large amount of literature from their experience and research. I am concentrating on functional assessment and emotion focussed theory and an integration of the two. I have quoted from a few studies by psychotherapists and researchers.   The advantages of the approaches would be obvious from the essay. How an integrated approach scores over the earlier functional assessment is described here with the support of researchers’ views. The Role of Emotion Focussed Therapy in Functional Assessment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The humanistic or experiential traditional psychotherapy included the Gestalt therapy, client centred therapy and the existential therapy which were practised for a long time. The Gestalt therapy is a holistic, process oriented and field theoretical approach to human change.(Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). The factors of awareness, contact, personal responsiveness and responsibility are built into it. Primacy is ascribed to the uniqueness of the individual. The person is treated in whole rather than in parts. Biological maturation, environmental influences, interaction of the individual and the environment and creative adjustment play a crucial role (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). Fritz Perls,the founder, considers the method as a congruence of many theories. Freud’s psychoanalysis had an influence on Gestalt therapy. Perls used Freud’s developmental sequence in his theory. The four major concepts are biological field theory, theory of the organism, the need for making contact and relationship and the capacity for making wholes. Biological field theory states that an organism can be understood only in its organised, interactive, interconnected and interdependent totality (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). The second theory considers that an organism has physical, cognitive, emotional, social, economical, spiritual, aesthetic and interpersonal dimensions; each of equal importance. The third says contact or building of relationships is essential for survival. (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). A person who cannot make contact with his surroundings or has a blockade requires intervention. The fourth speaks of the human being as having the capacity of organising and reorganising his bodily functions, perceptual functions, cognitive and behavioural aspects. Gestalt therapy is aimed at assisting the client in restoring his own ability to self-regulate as an organism and have successful and fulfilling contact with others in the environment as well as be familiar with one’s own faults. The person is led to cope creatively with himself and the environment (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation) What is normal human nature?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The psychologically healthy human being whose organismic self-regulation is functioning well is a normal person. He is able to respond properly to his wants and needs and the environment (ID functions). He is able to respond to situations realistically according to his behaviour (Personality functions) (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation ). He is proactive instead of reactive, recognised by his ability to respond immediately and his willingness to take responsibilty. He lives with awareness in the present, is very aware about the past and is looking forward to the future (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). When do you call a person abnormal?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In psychological dysfunctioning there is a loss of awareness of needs, wants and desires. Free flowing and flexible contact with the environment is blocked or distorted.   (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation).   He becomes reactive and simply unable to gauge events in their correct perspective. He is unable to take responsibility. His self –support is limited and he seeks help from outside. His ID and personality functions are disturbed. The style of contact changes (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). The work of the Therapist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The therapist focusses on improving the client’s contact and relationships. He establishes a dialogic relationship with the client. Limitations of Gestalt therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It lacks a distinct, elaborate and well defined theory. The developmental causes of psychological suffering are not addressed. There are no definite and constructive theories on how to effectively bring about a change in the client ( Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation). Psychoses and personality disorders are not represented. It has a reduced potential in treating acute cases with suicidal tendencies. The therapist needs to be present for the sessions for maximum benefit to the client. Many a time this may not be possible due to limitations in time. The client suffers then (Gestalt, Gestalt Global Corporation) Client centered therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The client-centered approach defined feeling as the union of emotion and cognition. The concept of experiencing and everything that is occurring within an organism at any given moment that is available to awareness are important. (Gendlin, 1962; Rogers, 1959). Extending deep understanding, empathy, congruence, caring are the various manners that a therapist can offer a client. Existential therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This takes into consideration the human condition. It has many similarities to the psychodynamic, humanistic, experiential and relational approaches to psychotherapy. Rollo May is considered the Father of Existential therapy. Yalom in his book, Existential Psychotherapy, 1980, speaks of 4 themes: death, freedom (responsibility), isolation and meaninglessness. These four issues are central to the human experience (Existential therapy, Hoffman) Functional Assessment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The philosophy behind functional assessment has been linked to the behaviourist tradition. It is an assessment-based approach to psychological therapy Functional analysis, behavioural assessment, antecedent consequent assessment, contextual assessment are terms used in it. Sequences form the basis of this therapy used by psychotherapists Cognitive behavioural assessment, systems focussed models, emotion focussed therapy and psychodynamic therapy are utilised to bring the mentally disturbed back into reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The presenting problem, precipitating factors, predisposing factors, perpetuating factors and protective factors are taken into consideration for functional assessment. The precipitating factors may instigate a problem in the presence of predisposing factors. The presenting problem takes the patient to a psychotherapist who sees him with the problem. What predisposed and what precipitated the problem have to be investigated into by the psychotherapist.   The therapist studies the case and comes up with an idea about the perpetuating factors and the protective factors. Emotions are not given much consideration here. The Emotion focused theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emotion research has come out with positive ideas on emotion. This kind of research has been done by many psychotherapists. Emotion theory and research say that emotion awareness, regulation and transformation are 3 important principles of emotional change. Recognising the part of the brain involved in the distress, the type of affect dysregulation and the type of change process that could be used form the basis for therapy (Greenberg, 2002). An integrated approach with stress on affect, cognition and behaviour is what is recommended by most psychotherapists. This approach affects the system at a desired level; cognitive, emotional, behavioural or interactional. Emotions are given their due importance as a fundamentally adaptive resource. They are a primary signalling system from birth and regulate our selves and give life its meaning (Greenberg, 2002). Healthy adaptation requires learning to be aware of, to tolerate and to regulate negative emotionality (Frijda, 1986) as well as to enjoy positive emotions (Frederickson, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Response to a fight-flight stimulus is said to be mediated by two pathways for producing emotion in the brain: a fast emotional response to a distress signal and a slower thinking-brain response which is usually unable to stop the reflex emotional response (Le Doux, 1996). The earlier response occurs based on previous experience. Similarly we can expect two kinds of learning; one a more conceptual one and the other a more perceptual, associative one (Pascual-Leone, 1987). Two types of memory too are described: one factual and the other emotional (van der Kolk, 1994). So two levels of processing are also possible: a conscious conceptual system and a tacit experiential system. Two systems of knowledge are thereby spoken of: knowledge by description and knowledge by experiencing (Greenberg, Rice and Elliot, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scientists agree that the emotional response to an event is a constructive sequence of events (Greenberg, 2002). They could be described as stimulus appraisal, physiological appraisal, expressive behaviour, impulses to instrumental behaviour, interpretation, subjective feeling and visceral and motor responses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freud purported the theory of excess energy being discharged as affect and its dysfunction. Modern psychoanalysts have discarded this idea. Psychodynamic analyst, Stolorow (1994) believes that the dynamic unconscious consists not of repressed instinctual drive derivatives but of affect states that have been defensively walled off because they failed to evoke attuned responsiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Behavioural and cognitive theories state that negative emotion is seen as a disturbance and disorganisation that interfered with behaviour (Greenberg, 2002). These negative emotions are seen as symptoms and therapy is directed towards them Behaviourists and cognitive behaviourists seem to be increasing their focus on automatic-unconscious, cognitive-affective structures in theory and treatment (Young, 1990) Beck (1996) believes that the fight-flight mode involves a whole range of systems in its response; perception of threat (cognitive system), feelings of anxiety or anger (affective system), that motivates the person to act (motivation system), the action itself (behavioural system) and physical mobilisation (physiological system). An orienting schema is activated to trigger off the rest of the sequence and that too rapidly. Therapy aimed at the dysfuntional modes has 3 parts; deactivation, construction of neutralising adaptive modes and changing the structure and content. Beck believes in the third method. Beck’s theory has seen changes but his combination of behavioural and rational intervention persists. Emotion in experiential therapy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emotion has always been part of the humanistic or experiential therapy. In the Gestalt therapy, emotion was a vital regulator (Greenberg, 2002).   Gestalt therapy may be seen as a form of training in emotional awareness. Blocking was interpreted as fueled by the wish to avoid painful or unwanted emotion. Feeling, in the client centred therapy, was defined as the union of emotion and cognition which were experienced inseparably. Emotion in the experiential therapy is now understood to be a biologically adaptive, rapid action tendency and a meaning system that provides feedback on the states of body and mind. It forms the basis of an adaptive growth system in the organism (Greenberg, 2002). The process of symbolisation creates conscious meaning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greenberg has classified emotion into primary adaptive feelings which provide the information behind the problem, maladaptive emotions which need to be evoked and modified and secondary adaptive emotions which need to be investigated to reach the primary (Greenberg, 2002 ). Cognitive emotion schemes form the personality characteristics. They are focussed upon in therapy. The maladaptive ones are to be changed in therapy (Greenberg, 2002). Theories that have met concurrence among psychotherapists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is recognition that emergence of emotion is an important signal that material being discussed is significant to a person’s well-being. The second point is that awareness of emotion and attention to it in therapy are important to access the information in emotion ( Greenberg, 2002).   The third says that desynchronies or incongruence among cognition, emotion and physiology can occur and is pathogenic. The fourth point of agreement says that emotion has to be aroused and processed in therapy to bring about change. The final point of agreement says that it is important to promote emotion regulation and emotional experience. (Greenberg, 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An integrated psychotherapy involves the 3 major change processes: awareness of emotion, regulation of emotional arousal and changing emotion with emotion. Maladaptive emotions are changed by using another maladaptive one. Functional Assessment in a school   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Functional assessment has been done to examine the factors related to the challenging behaviours of students. Much literature has been written on this. Whether Functional assessment is sufficient to study the behaviours of schoolchildren who had problems is a question raised by many psychotherapists. Functional assessment is defined as a set of assessment procedures used to identify variables that promote and maintain challenging behaviour and based on this assessment, interventions are then selected to alter some of these variables (Lennox and Miltenberger, 1989). Functional assessment is based on some assumptions a) specific contextual variables are directly related to target behaviour b) these variables are identified by assessing how they trigger and maintain the behaviour c) systematic manipulation of the variables can either reduce the challenging behaviour or support the development of appropriate fuctional skills (Carr and Durand, 1985; Durand and Carr, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 reasonable hypotheses for poor academic performance have been discussed a) the student does not want to do work b)the student has not spent enough time on the work c) the student has not had enough help to successfully complete the work d) the student has not had previously to do the work in the requested manner. e) the work is too hard for the student. If the function of the difficulty is identified, matching interventions can be developed. If the child does not want to do the work, incentives may be offered to stimulate him to work (Merrell, 2006)   The various studies that have been conducted appear incomplete in different ways. Only a few studies have examined their usefulness. Most of the study on behaviour was done out of school and not on the pro-social behaviour in school (Ken, Choutka and Sokol, 2002). Only some studies included class adaptive behaviours like on task behaviour and on task compliance Interviews, observation and hypothesis are useful only for ordinary students. For disruptive behavior other methods have to be adopted. Researchers have suggested that the link between the functional assessment and the intervention implemented are not always clear in the research. Only 16 studies had referenced various procedures that were actually used to form hypotheses from which interventions were planned (Stichter and Conroy, 2005). Of the 16, only 5 could actually verify the hypotheses before intervention. The change agents in the literature were the researchers. Very few teachers or peers participated in the implementation of the functional assessment and interventions. All the reviews discovered that the assessments were done outside the students’ classrooms where the problematic behaviours occurred. Also a standard functional assessment has not emerged (Stichter and Conroy, 2005). The natural conclusion was that they were not adequate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students with Emotional Behavioural disorders could not be assessed with these used formats. IDEA 1997 which was the legislative impetus for conducting FA in schools did not have the necessary baselines or standard process for this. The reactive policies did not require an assessment unless the child is disruptive or commits an offense. Teachers were lacking the knowledge and skills to perform the functional assessment (Stichter and Conroy, 2005). Originally only individuals identified with severe developmental disabilities (Kahng and Iwata, 1999) had FA. This was conducted in clinical settings. This assessment format was found inadequate for students with lesser disability who lie unnecesarily or indulge in drug abuse or carry weapons or threaten classmates. There has been a general call for appropriate functional assessments to be done differently for normal children, children with mild emotional behavioural disorders and the really disruptive ones. The assessment needs to be done in natural settings (classrooms). Peers or teachers who can assess their own students are the best assessors. Hypotheses are to be derived and the right intervention planned accordingly before it is executed (Stichter and Conroy, 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structural analysis is the hypotheses driven model that addresses the current challenges (Carr and Carlson, 1993). This method has been successfully used in natural settings with natural change agents to identify instructional variables that contribute to the acquisition of proactive responses as well as specific variables that contribute to problem behaviour. Preventing problem behaviour by supporting instructional and contextual factors that contribute to adaptive behaviour while designing interventions to increase skill acquisition is a practical extension of the functional assessment literature base for students with emotional behavioural disorders (Stichter and Conroy, 2005). Conducting classroom functional assessments will be more reflective of actual activities and naturally occurring environmental variables, providing a clearer assessment of the impact of various change agents. Proposed interventions may be tested in natural settings through implementation of hypotheses to increase adaptive behaviour. The applied nature of the structural analysis helps the teacher see the change in adaptive behaviour (Stichter and Conroy, 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A study conducted by Richard van Acker et al examined the Functional Behaviour Assessments and Behaviour Intervention Plans of current practices developed by school teams in Wisconsin Findings suggested serious flaws (Acker et al, 2005). There was a lack of clarity in the identification of and operational definition of the target behaviour or behaviours under investigation (Acker et al, 2005). There was a failure to identify the efforts taken by the team members to verify the hypothesised function of the behaviour before intervention. Most surprisingly, the team members just neglected their findings on a behaviour when considering the Behaviour intervention plans. Teams with members who had undergone intensive training for the research produced better results. Team based FBA has been found to be a good proposition according to a study by Scott et al, (2005). Emotion focussed therapy Research on couples’ therapy also shows the role of emotional awareness and expression in a satisfying relationship. Expression of underlying attachment-oriented emotions leads to a satisfying marital life in a couple who get the therapy. (Johnson and Greenberg, 1985). Showing more emotional experience in the therapy along with softening of blaming partners, the couple ended up being more satisfied than couples who showed lesser experiencing (Greenberg, Ford, Alden and Johnson, 1993).   Expression of emotion is useful for terminating family conflicts too (Diamond and Liddle, 1996). One study demonstrated that an emotional cycle in the relaxation treatment, increase in arousal, arousal with reflection, more abstract reflection and then relaxation, following one upon the other finally results in a good outcome Mergenthaler, 1996).   All personality disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., American Psychiatric Association, 1994) are considered as disturbances of affect regulation Descriptions have been included about borderline personality disorder where difficulty to control anger is the problem and schizoid disorder where extreme coldness is the problem. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotherapy has undergone a major change from the days of the primitive man. The days of chaining to restrict their movements and putting them away in far off institutions have gone. The humanistic approach has given way to the integrated approach which includes functional assessment and the emotion focussed theory. Psychotherapists now vouch for this integrated approach as one. Schoolchildren in the United States have come under the legislative impetus whereby their performance in school is assessed based on their behavioural and emotional functions. The lax manner that was assumed earlier for this assessment has now been flayed. Researchers have advised that the children are assessed no matter whether they are disruptive or not and different techniques used for the normal, those with minimal disorder and those with disruptive behaviour. They have opined that teachers are the best people to assess the children in their own surroundings. Teams which underwent training are also recommended. Another advice is that interventions should only be undertaken after reaching a hypothesis based on the assessment of children. Hopefully functional assessment integrated with emotion focussed therapy will turn out the best assessment after upgrading the assessment procedures. References.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Acker, Richard van et al, 2005, Journal of Behavioral Education, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2005 (C_ 2005), pp. 35–56, Springer Science and Business Media   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beck, A. T. (1996). Beyond belief: A theory of modes, personality, and psychopathology. In P. M. Salkovskis (Ed.), Frontiers of cognitive therapy (pp. 1–25). New York: Guilford Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carr, E. G., Carlson, Jane I. (1993). Reduction of severe behavior problems in the community using a multicomponent treatment approach. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 157–172.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carr, E. G., Durand, V. M. (1985). Reducing behavior problems through functional communication training. Journal of Behavioral Education, 18, 111–126.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Durand, V. M., Carr, E. G. (1987). Social influences on â€Å"self-stimulatory† behavior: Analysis and treatment application. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20, 119–132. Existential therapy,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2004,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   11/4/08,  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.existential-therapy.com/ Louis Hoffman 2004-2006 Frijda, N. H. (1986). The emotions. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gendlin, E. T. (1962). Experiencing and the creation of meaning: A philosophical and psychological approach to the subjective. New York: Free Press of Glencoe. Gestalt Therapy Overview, Vol 4, No.3, Autumn 2000,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   23/11/03,  Ã‚   10/4/08, http://www.g-gej.org/4-3/theoryoverview.html, Gestalt Global Corporation Greenberg, Leslie S.; â€Å"Integrating an emotion focussed approach to treatment into psychotherapy integration†, Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 2002, Vol.12, 2, 154-189, Education Publishing Foundation Greenberg, L. S., Rice, L. N., Elliot, R. (1993). Facilitating emotional change: The moment by moment process.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     New York: Guilford Press. Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 300–319. Kern, L., Choutka, C. M., Sokol, N. (2002). Assessment-based antecedent interventions used in natural settings to reduce challenging behavior: An analysis of the literature. Education and Treatment of Children, 25, 113–130. LeDoux, J. E. (1996).   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The emotional brain: The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life.†Ã‚  Ã‚   New York: Simon Schuster. Lennox, D. B., Miltenberger, R. G. (1989). Conducting a functional assessment of problem behavior in applied settings. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 14, 304–311. Kahng, S.W., Iwata, B. (1999). Correspondence between outcomes of brief and extended functional analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32, 149–160. Merrell, Kenneth W., â€Å"School Psychology from the 21st century: Foundations and Practices†, 2006, Guilford Press, US. Pascual-Leone, J. (1991). Emotions, development, and psychotherapy: A dialectical constructivist perspective. In J. Safran L. Greenberg (Eds.), Emotion, psychotherapy, and change (pp. 302–335). New York: Guilford Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rogers, C. R. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal relationships, as developed in the client-centered framework. In S. Koch (Ed.), Psychology: A study of a science (Vol. 3, pp. 184–256). New York: McGraw-Hill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scott, Terrance M. et al, Journal of Behavioral Education, Vol. 14, No. 1, March 2005 ( C_ 2005), pp. 57–71, Springer Science and Business Media Stichter, Janine Peck; Conroy, Maureen A., â€Å"Using Structural Analysis in Natural Settings: A Responsive Functional Assessment Strategy, Vol.14, (1), March 2005, Journal of Behavioural Education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stolorow, R. D. (1994). The nature and therapeutic action of psychoanalytic interpretation. In R. D. Stolorow, G. E. Atwood, B. Brandschaft (Eds.), The intersubjective perspective (pp. 42–55). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. Van der Kolk, B. A. (1994). The body keeps the score: Memory and the evolving psychobiology of posttraumatic stress. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 1, 253–265. Young, J. (1990). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach.   Sarasota, FL: Professional Resources Exchange.

Voltaires Candide as an Attack on Optimism Essay -- Candide essays

Voltaire's Attack on Optimism in Candide      Ã‚   Leibnitz emphasized, in his Discours de Metaphysique (Discourse on Metaphysics) (1686) the role of a benevolent creator. He called the constituent components of the universe monads, and while the philosophy of monads is of little concern to readers of Candide, the conclusion which Leibnitz drew from these monads is crucial to an understanding of optimism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leibnitz argued that all of these monads were linked in a complex chain of cause and effect and that this linking had been done by a divine creator as he created the harmonious universe. Since he was benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, he logically would create the best of all possible worlds. Hence, everything that happens in the universe is part of this greater plan, and thus must be for the best. Humans cannot appreciate how the evils encountered in every day life contribute to the best of universes and universal harmony, but they do, nonetheless.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Optimism was attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question that mankind had been grappling with since the beginning of faith: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out of this philosophical dilemma: God has made everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Voltaire's experiences led him to dismiss the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. Examining the death and destruction, both man-made and natural (including the Lisbon earthquake) Voltaire concluded that everything was not for the best. Bad things do ha... ...e respond, in closing, to his friend the Optimist?    "That is very well put, said Candide, but we must cultivate our garden" (75).    Works Cited and Consulted: Bottiglia, William. "Candide's Garden." Voltaire: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Durant, Will, Ariel Durant. The Story of Civilization: Part IX: The Age of Voltaire. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. Frautschi, R.L. Barron's Simplified Approach to Voltaire: Candide. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1968. Lowers, James K, ed. "Cliff Notes on Voltaire's Candide". Lincoln: Cliff Notes, Inc. 1995. Richter, Peyton. Voltaire. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980. Voltaire's Candide and the Critics. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc., 1996. Voltaire. Candide. New York: Viking Publishers, 1998.   

Security Analysis & Portfolio Management

1. Introduction Before Fama and French question it, most business schools taught their student CAPM is the means of describing the relationship between expected return and risk in stocks. In 1992, Fama and French hade a study on stock market decision factors of differences between stock returns, they found the beta (sensitivity to the market return) of the CAPM cannot explain all the differences between the stock returns, and the market value, book value ratio, p/e ratio of listed companies can explain the differences between the stock returns.The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) by Sharpe (1964), Lintner (1965), Black (1972), believe that stock returns just relative to the risk of the whole stock market. But in fact, only measures the risk cannot explain all the variation in expect returns, the sensitivity to the market return is more complicated. This article will show the different between Capital Asset Pricing Model and Fama & French Model, and the way to analysis the stock ret urn. 2. Comparison of Value versus Growth Stock 2. 1 Value Stock & Growth StockIn this article, the researchers define the value stock as those stocks that have low ratios of book value to market value, the growth stocks as those that have low ratios of book value to market value. 2. 2 Findings of Value versus Growth Stock on Investing Most investors think the growth stocks can bring a better return, because they think those are good company, and the returns will be high. But the researchers find the growth can bring a better return, the value stocks got a high price by the market, which make their returns be low.In fact, the growth stocks have low ratios of book value to market value, it make the growth stocks get good return. 3. Determinants of stock return Fama and French founding that the market risk factor and the value-growth risk factor can explain average return of this set of large international stocks. The market risk factor is the return on an international market portfol io of stocks, and the value-growth factor is the difference between he return on an international portfolio of high book-to-market stocks and the return on an international portfolio of low book-to-market stocks. 4. Capital Asset Pricing Model vs. Fama & French Model 4. 1 CAMP and Its Importance The CAPM is built on a single measure of risk that explains asset returns. The CAPM helps investors determine how much they will earn by taking into account the risk of investments and the time value of money. With higher risk, the investor will want a higher rate of return for his investment.Although most researcher question CAMP, but this model still used widely in investing. Use beta to forecast single stock is different, but the investors still believe that, when the stocks’ portfolio of beta is small, it means the stock change small than the volatility of the market; when the stocks’ portfolio of beta is large, it means the stock change more than the volatility of the mark et. For the fund managers, this is important, they can use the CAMP, and no matter the market price is rising or falling.When the market price is falling, they can invest the portfolio of beta is low, and vice versa. 4. 2 Fama and French Explanation about Stock Return Compared with the CAMP, Fama and French use more complicated way to explain the stock return. They use three risk factors to design a more perfect model. It often used by the finance professionals to explain the risk and return of equity portfolios. In this model, the beta still is the most important risk factors.The second risk factor is the size, it compare the weighted average market value of stocks in the market. Small stocks have a different activity than big stocks in ever market. In the long run, the big stocks have low returns than small stocks. But this return is not free, the small stock have more risk. The third factor is comparing the amount of value stock exposure in relation to the market. In most compani es, the value stock rend have lower earnings growth rates, higher dividends, and higher book-market value.In the long run, the value have higher return. 4. 3 Implications of the Two Models for Investors This tow models had implications for investors, although the CAPM is not accurate,but it still can help people to get investing idea for the market. First of all, the CAPM thinks the market too simple, it only considers the risk, and there are at least two additional dimensions of risk, no matter it is a domestic or international portfolios of stock, it is get rewarded in average returns.Secondly, another implication is that, it makes the investors believe the value stocks have higher returns than growth stocks in markets around the world. Looking at book-to-market equity, Fama and French found that value stocks outperformed growth stocks in 12 of 13 developed countries from 1975 to 1995, and that the difference between average returns on global portfolios of high and low book-to-mar ket stocks was 7. 6 percent per year. Furthermore, when earnings-to-price, cash flow-to-price and dividend-to-price were examined, the value premium continued to be evident.Conclusion Although the CAPM stills an important mean to describe the relationship between expected return and risk in stocks. But CAPM has some serious flaws, especially with the assumptions of the risk-free rate and the market rate. Investors must consider current market conditions before deciding what numbers to use. Additionally, CAPM ignores taxes and transaction costs, lower returns on higher risk and adequate risk measurement. Fama and French think more about the stock return, this model use more risk factors to analysis the change of the stock price.