General Investment Discussion Posts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

General Investment Discussion Posts - Assignment Example Wieland (2010) denotes that a passive investment strategy has a rate of return of 7% per annum. This, Wieland (2010) denotes that is the main disadvantage of a passive investment strategy. That is, an investor will not get a high return for his or her investments. Barnes (2009) denotes that an active strategy will incorporate a method in which an investor seeks to buy bonds or stocks expecting a high return. On this basis, its main advantage over passive strategy is that an investor can acquire unlimited return. However, this method is very expensive, and there is no guarantee of success. It is important to denote that approximately 80% of actively managed stocks usually underperform (Barnes, 2009). Those that perform well are not consistent over the years. On this basis, the best form of portfolio management is the hybrid system. This is because it is a combination of the passive and active investments strategies (Wieland, 2010). On this note, the hybrid system combines the advantages of these two investments strategies, as well as mitigating their disadvantages. Toporowski (2010) denotes that one major strength of a projected P/E is its ability to explain the degree of confidence upon which investors have on a company. Toporowski (2010) further denotes that a P/E which is low in value will imply that investors do not have confidence with the company. On the other hand, a P/E which is high will denote that investors have confidence with the company. Investors will therefore purchase the various securities and stocks of these companies. On this note, the projected P/E ratio provides a guideline in which investors will know a company that performs well or not. However, the P/E ration has limitations. This is because the P/E ratio uses earnings as its indicator. It is important to denote it is possible to manipulate the earnings of a company. On this note, it is therefore

It Happened On The Way To War Paper Essay Example for Free

It Happened On The Way To War Paper Essay It Happened On The Way To War is a book by Rye Barcott. This book talks about a marine who dreams of making a difference in the world. We read about his life, feeling as if we were a part of it. Three values that he clearly shows in this book are balance, leadership and Inspiration. Somebody once said that in order to succeed in life, you have to have a balance between your personal life and your professional life. Rye Barcott not only shows us the importance of having a balance, but he also shows us how hard it is to find that balance. While he was a part of the Marines, he was expected to transition easily from the combat mode to peace keeping mode. He thought that he will be able to separate the founder of Carolina for Kibera(CFK) from the marine that he was meant to be and vice versa. However as he started his journey, he soon realized how difficult finding balance actually is. After he came back from Kibera and started bootcamp. Rye noticed a difference in his performance. His said that for the first time in his life, he was in the bottom half of the class. â€Å" It’s like a dual culture shock† (90 Barcott, Rye) thats what is what his mother said that he was going through. This was the first time, we see Rye struggling to keep his personal and professional life separate. As time went by he was able to over come the cultural shock, however once he was an official marine. he was presented with a new challenge. He had to look at children that he was trying to improve the lives off, as potential suspects. As a marine he had to check kids that looked innocent for bombs and weapons and then then as a founder of CFK he had to go and help them. In my leadership class, I have been taught that in order to be a good leader you need to do 5 things. You have to model the way, inspire a shared vision, encourage the heart, challenge the process and enable others to act. In the book, Rye demonstrates most if not all of these 5 qualities. He modeled the way, by showing people that you don’t need to be rich in order to make a difference in the world, you just need dedication and a good group of people who are willing to work with you. When Rye met Salim, he decided to take take Salim’s vision of Kibera and make it his own. He inspired a shared a vision, Salim told Rye his dream about Kibera’s future and how he is currently trying to achieve it, however he probably did not expect Rye to actually support the dream or even come back to Kibera. However Rye shocked him by not only coming back to Kibera, but also by working with him to achieve his goal. Tabitha’s meeting with Rye is a great example of how Rye encouraged the heart.He had just met Tabitha and she was asking him to trust her and help her. There was no guarantee that Tabitha would succeed, but Rye supported her and helped her achieve her dream. Challenging the Process requires you to stand up and stand out of the crowd. There are many books published about a person and the amount of good her or she does in the world. However the reason that Rye’s story is different from others is because Rye is a marine. People are attracted to this book, because on the front cover the caption reads â€Å"A Marines Path To Peace† Which is very unique. When people think about the Marines, they think of war not peace. There aren’t many books about a marine that fights a war in the day, and runs a non-profit organization by night. The work that Rye does in his book, things like organizing soccer tournaments and trash clean ups, enables others to act. In order for the kids to play the sports, they have to help the community by cleaning up the trash. It taught the kids positive feedback. They did something good for others and in return they got something good out of it. This practice motivated the people of Kibera to act! This wasn’t the only way he enabled other to act, he was able to convince his friend Nate to help others and modeled the way for him. Inspiration is a huge deal in Rye’s life. He would have not achieved some much in his life, if he wasnt inspired by the people he met in his life. Tabitha and Salim showed him that even though they have faced many hardships, it is still possible to achieve your dreams as long as you work hard with passion and integrity. His teachers/professors at UNC helped him tremendously. When him and his friends weren’t able to get many funds, it was his professors that helped him get through, and motivated him and gave him guidance that eventually got him the funds that he needed. Not only did they guide him, but they helped him with his project. Professor Peacock and Kohn who he met in his freshman year helped him with his thesis in grad school and taught him how to run an effective non-profit organization. Even when he was a kid, his father’s marine friends were mentors for him. â€Å"My good fortune started when I was a bot.† (110, Barcott, Rye) They guided him and helped him realize his future plan. They guided him because they knew that he would in return be an inspiration and guide others in the future. Which is exactly what he did. He became an inspiration for the kids of Kibera. Rye Barcott’s journey in this book, wasn’t an easy one. The three values that he demonstrated in this book, balance, leadership and inspiration made him very unique. When he first started his journey, he did not have all three values, however as he grew as a person, he developed these values and tried to perfect them. Work Cited †¢ Barcott, Rye. Carolina For Kibera. N.p., n.d. Web. . †¢ Barcott, Rye. It Happend on the Way to War. USA: Bloomsbury, 2011. Print.

Socialisation Is A Fundamental Sociological Concept Sociology Essay

Socialisation Is A Fundamental Sociological Concept Sociology Essay Socialisation is a fundamental sociological concept as it is the way we learn to be a functioning part of the society we are in, how to become a member of the group. Socialisation starts from the moment we are born and there are many arguments that help to show how such socialisation is a continuous process. It continues throughout our lives to help us fit into and be accepted into the many groups within society that we encounter during our lifetime or to just adjust to the changes in our existing community. Although an Important social topic that affects all members of society at one time, widespread mainstream literature concerning gender socialisation is difficult to come by. As mentioned, socialisation starts from the day we are born, the very start, so to help understand socialisation as a whole, developing an understanding of some of its parts is helpful. For this piece of work I shall be focusing on gender socialisation and the impact it has on an individuals socialisation into society. The concept of gender socialisation helps us to understand how the notion of gender, what is expected of individuals as males and females in society and how much it matters. Throughout examining literature for this topic I hope to gain a better understanding of what academic sociologist have to say on this topic. The aim is to try to Identify important factors that impact gender socialisation and what literature is current on a similar topic. Has there been a change in attitude to such gendered socialisation and the idea or construction of gender? What are these and how are these developing; I.e. gendered parenting/modern schooling? I also would like to explore nature vs. nurture/boy vs. girl/male vs. female. What are these titles and how are they explained in a sociological way. I hope to gain a greater concept of gender theories and what is already known about my chosen topic. To help to develop my understanding of sociological explanations for gender socialisation I have approached several academic texts to help guide and aid my understanding. The first book that I revised is The Paradoxes of Gender (1999) by Judith Lorber. Written by Feminist and sociologist Lorber I found that this book challenges the basic idea we may hold of gender and its construction. Lorber argues that gender is a social fact constructed wholly by socialisation. Lorber also notes that gender is also a social institution, comparable to religion, the economy and the family as with it follows consequences and social significance. As a feminist Lorbers work focuses on the need for gender and how it is an inevitable fact that is important not only for the identity of an individual but also for societys construction. While I initially focused on Lorbers Text for a main point of reference I also followed up with works such as Women, Men and Society (1999) Renzetti and Curran, The Gender T rap (2012) Emily W Kane. These texts form the primary reading for this lit review. I supplemented these with more classical theory books such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Classical Sociological theory (2006) What is gender socialisation? There are many different theories of how gender socialisation happens and how/when it occurs. To help understand gender socialisation, an attempt at a definition is helpful. In its simplest form gender socialisation is how an individual learns and accepts the expected gender norms and values of the culture and society they are born into. Through this education they begin to develop a sense of identity and their ideas of gender become internalised and guide their behaviour. The Paradoxes of Gender (1994) attempts to explore all areas of Gender and the influences they have on gender identity and wider gender influences. To help with gender socialisation there are ideas within the wider concept that help to make up a persons gender socialisation. Lorber sees Gender norms as a set of rules appropriate for males and females; they are a set of expectations these expectations help to dictate how men and women are labelled, and therefore how they should behave. The rules and expectations follow on to become internalised and help to forma gender identity, which leads us to the second point highlighted to help gain an understanding of gender socialisation; Gender identity. Sociologists make a clear distinction between gender and sex. A persons sex is biological determined and gender is culturally learnt. Gender identity goes beyond just recognising the physical biological gender characteristics belonging to male and female and identifying them from each other. Gender identity is in fact an internal personal conception of how an individual view themselves as male or female. Gender cannot be equated with biol ogical and physiological differences between human males and females. The building blocks of gender are socially constructed. (Lorber 1994:17) How gender socialisation impacts Individuals life choices. Gender socialisation impacts all areas of social life and therefore does in fact make it an important topic of study. The way an individual is socialised in terms of their gender has an overall impact on daily life including that of social self, self-concept and the way we conduct personal relationships with others and the perceptions we make. Family, friends, social peers and outside uncontrollable sources are all agents through which socialisation occurs. Religion, mass media education and pop culture are becoming ever increasingly influential over socialisation and how an individual views themselves in respect to their gender. Boys and girls are treated different right from birth, this treatment is often primarily from members of their own environment, such as their parents, siblings and extended families, and the way they are treated helps them to learn the distinction between being male or female. Most parents create a gendered world for their new-born by naming, birth announcem ents and dress. Childrens relationships with same-gendered and different-gendered caretakers structure their self-identifications and personalities (Lorber 1994:25).Similar to The Paradoxes of Gender (2004), Men, Women and Society (2002) also addresses the many aspects of what we see as gender. One of the most interesting research topics explored in this book is the concept of how outside choices influence a childs gender socialisation. This is quite often transmitted through simple gestures such as the selection of gender based toys or giving a child a gender based task Research does show that children express gender based toy preferences as early as one year of age, but their toy choices may have been inspired even earlier by parental encouragement (Renzetti and Curran1999;74). These seemingly insignificant acts do in fact play a large part in the socialisation of children, and as a result how they develop their gender identity, and therefore their ender socialisation. A common th eme throughout all the literature based around gender, explore varying influences on what is gender and how it constructed. Nature vs Nurture vs gender identity. An influential and on-going debate amongst sociologists is the argument of the importance of nature vs. nurture in terms of gender socialisation. This ever evolving debate attempts to discover how a biological identity differs over individuals social surroundings to develop a gender identity. A biological and genetic gender identity fuels the nature area of debate whereas society and external influences help to form the idea of nurture. Many argue that to efficiently form an active gender identity, there must be a significant influence from either nature or nurture, but the question continues as to which is more influential, if either. In the Journal article The Nature of Gender Udry attempts to distinguish between what is sex; and what is gender. Gender is the relationship between biological sex and behaviour; a theory of gender explains the relationship. A gendered behaviour is the one that defines sex (Udry 1994;561). This idea and the theme of this article help to highlight my in itial argument about discussing how gender is a social construction. Sex is a given but a persons gender can be perceived differently dependant on how they behaviour. My project will attempt to further this idea by looking into how this behaviour is shaped and learnt. Children start to come into contact with such norms that define what it is to be masculine or feminine. What is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour is placed upon them in both conscious and unconscious ways. Young boys are taught not to show high emotion, to be strong and powerful whereas girls are showed how to be forgiving, docile and ladylike. If a child shows to be going against such expected norms then there is the chance that they can expected to be ostracised from their community or culture, or treated badly. In exceptional circumstances some cultures limit access to basic human rights such as nutrition health care. The treatment of genders in some cultures can also help to reinforce a separate gender identity, for examples in many third world cultures, girls have both different legal and ethical access to education so therefore go on to expect to be treated differently from boys, all based on their gender identity. Toy selection and clothing although seemingly innocent can i n fact play a crucial part in gender socialisation. Clothing plays a significant part in gender socialisation. As children become mobile, certain types of clothing encourage certain or discourage particular behaviours or activities (Renzetti and Curran 2002; 70) by this Renzetti and Curran refer to the idea that the way a child is dressed can influence their expected gender identity. For example a female child dressed in a soft, flowing or lace detailed dress would be expected to behave more soft and gentle compared to a male child in Denim jeans who would be accepted for rough and tumble behaviour. The Psychological and Biological explanations for gender. To develop a greater understanding of sociological explanations for gender socialisation it is also important to compare and contrast the arguments raised to those of another discipline. As Urdy notes it is important to consider new schools of thinking as social science stems from such thoughts. It is also impossible to study gender without noting the biological differences of human beings. Gender has biological foundations (Udry 1994 ; 571) One of the most prominent theories about gender acknowledgement comes from the school of psychology. Sigmund Freuds work focused on the importance of childhood and the experience that children experience that children gain throughout it, especially in relation to their gender. Freud noted that gender development is an unconscious experience that occurs through forming a bond with a parental figure. Although this project will focus on primarily the sociological explanations for gender socialisation many texts touch upon further academic disciplines who discuss the construction of gender. It is therefore important to include such references into my project, due to the reference through the literature I have reviewed. Societys expectations. Societys expectations of male and female positions within society have also changed over time. Throughout this project I hope to investigate the suggestion that societies tolerant of the changing gender of identity of females has become more positive. A rise in females in the workplace, taking on stereotypical male occupations (fire fighter, police force, and, engineer) and asserting dominance in regards to their position throughout society. Family socialisation can be seen to encourage female children to display characteristically male but male children are often scorned from displaying any stereotypical female behaviour. Girls are accepted even if they prefer to play with male orientated toys, if they were trousers or show an interest in rough and tumble but if a male child played with baby dolls or wore a dress may experience more negative reaction from society. Parents, through primary socialisation, can be seen to be more likely to encourage their daughters to these masculine qu alities then allow their sons to display feminine qualities (Van Volkon 2003) Here Van Volkon gives weight to the importance primary socialisation, through their family can have on a child. The role of women is seen to be changing in contemporary society, but does this mean that the main social gender identity is getting left behind? Conclusion. Looking at gender sociologically helps to reveal societal and cultural proportions of something that is generally thought of as biologically fixed. It helps us to understand how individuals are in a new viewpoint and to help raise and in the end answer new issues and debates surrounding gender. Throughout this project I hope to uncover answers to sociologically questions such as is gender culturally learnt? I am also interested in uncovering how important, or how much influence the family have on gender socialisation, especially in relation to children and childhood. To help with this the work of Emily Kane in The Gender Trap (2012) has proved useful. By conducting Interviews and observations of families, parents and children this literature helps to give empirical backing to the texts I have read throughout this review. Gender socialisation and how it is understood is an ongoing sociological question. Above is a brief overview of what literature I have found useful to attempt to study the subject of gender socialisation. As society can be seen as every changing I am interested in what such change, if any has on the construction and notion of gender. As understood throughout the literature reviewed modern institutions, such as education and the family, have great influence on society and how its individuals are taught how to fit in. Ideas and the construction of gender are constant with more radical forms of socialisation occurring i.e. gender neutral parenting and its societal impact. Not all the literature I have come across has proved useful to my project research, but this has allowed me to learn mistakes that previous research uncovered and helped to give my research direction and fresh thinking for future research. Throughout wider reading, I have concluded that using more contemporary sources and academic texts helped to give my research weight and productive reference. Introduction. The aim of this paper is to examine the influence that family has on gender development and the socialisation process. It will focus on how family influence can affect the construction of gender identity in children from birth through to the first year in primary schooling, around 5-6 years of age and also how the process of socialisation impacts parents. I shall attempt to examine both primary and secondary influences that can shape the gender identity of a family. The first part of this paper shall look at how becoming a parent can force an individual to have an influence on the gender identity of another and how this process may change their existing gender identity. Secondly this paper shall attempt to examine how the primary socialisation process impacts female children compared with male children. Society and its actors view the world through a series of lenses: those lenses can include class, race, age and gender. Society is full of stereotypes and the expectations that come with them. Social actors have little choice but to be subjected to learning these expectations and to submit to the influence they have on their personal identity. From childhood to adulthood our identity is constantly being reinforced as to what our culture and society wants and sees as acceptable. These stereotypes are expected of everyone but in fact may not be fair to all members of society. As they move through childhood, children are influenced by those that they interact with and are taught right from birth what it is to be a successful member of society. To understand the sociological concept concerned with the construction of gender, it is important to comprehend first of all the factors that influence ones gender construction. The continuing aim of this paper is to show that it is possible to identify different areas of gender socialization, which vary in their impact on children and those around them, which are essential to build up a gender identity. The best way to understand the concept of gender is to gain a basic knowledge of the concept it. From a structural perspective, gender is seen as the division of individuals within a society into contrasting and complementary social categories; boys and girls into men and women. In this conceptualisation, gendering in the process and a gendered social order can be seen to be the product of some kind of social construction (Lorber, 1994). Gender based norms can be defined as what we expect from males and females within society whereas gender stereotypes can be seen as how a society generalizes these expectations. Gender based stereotypes are generally first thought of being taught in the home, which are later reinforced by peer interactions, education and schooling, as well as widespread media contact. It can be seen that the family unit does in fact have the largest influence on a childs gender development. Their family members, parents in particular, overtly and covertly teach their child gender roles and reinforce the ideas of gender that they hold about themselves. Both socialisation, primary and secondary, cultural expectations and given biological attributes are all seen to influence an individuals gender identity and as a result has a significant effect on their personal identity. Vuorinen Tuunala, (1997) noted that Socialisation is the process, through which the child becomes an individual respecting his or hers environments laws, norms and customs. (pg45) From this, socialisation can be seen as a fundamental sociological concept and therefore is an important area of analysis. It is the way that individuals learn to be a functioning part of society and how to become an accepted member of the social group in which they are living amongst. Socialisation starts from the moment we are born and it is seen as a continuous process. It carries on throughout our lives, to help us fit and be accepted into the many groups within society that we encounter during our lifetime or to simply adjust to the changes in our existing community. The educational function that Murdock refers to, can also be termed socialisation. The family has the responsibility of transmitting a societys way of life, norms and values to the younger members. This function is an important one as, wi thout culture, the society could not survive, and too much deviation from the norm would disrupt the stability of the society. Classical sociology has also be long concerned with the process known as socialisation. Talcott Parsons (1959) has written about the functions of the family and identified two functions that he perceives as being basic and irreducible. For Parsons, the family provided primary socialisation of children and as a result, produced the stabilisation of the personalities within adults amongst wider society. [Haralambos Holborn, 2000, p.509] How children become socialised into different characters can be based on their sex. Through this more focused form of socialisation, boys and girls are repeatedly taught what it means to be male or female and what gender roles will be expected of them is termed gender socialisation (Giddens, 1993). Although it is an important social topic that affects all members of society at one time, widespread mainstream literature concerning gender socialisation is difficult to come by. There are many different theories of how gender socialisation happens and how or when it occurs. The two main theories I shall touch upon within this paper are social learning theory and as a follow on to this, social identification theory. These two theories are concerned with the development of gender identity and attempt to explain how the environment around an individual can influence their personal and social gender identity. Social learning theory proposes, established by Bandura (1971) that both gender identity and gender role are learned through a process including observation, imitation, punishment and reinforcement. On the other hand, social identification theory developed by Tajfel and Turner (1979) as a response to Bandura is based upon the notion that an individual portrays certain behaviours or an identity that reflects the social group to which they belong, to help them adapt and adopt the ways of the group. In its simplest form, gender socialisation is how individuals learn and accept the expected gender norms and values of the culture and society they are born into. Through this education they begin to develop a sense of identity and their ideas of gender become internalised and guide their behaviour. The mass media, wide spread social norms, environmental factors such as living conditions and even language distribute the stereotypes which influence social behaviour and therefore what is expected from gender in society. These external factors contribute to categorizing members of society and placing social label upon them. Examples of labels can include race, class and most importantly for this paper, gender. A shared stereotype is when an expected behaviour or conformity is mutual and accepted by all members of the social group, the way that individuals interpret this label determines how well they are accepted into their social group. Such gender stereotypes can be seen as a set of rules appropriate for males and females. These rules help to guide how males and females are labelled by their social group and indicate how they should behave, expectations become internalised and form an individuals gender identity. Separate stereotypes are linked to male and female members of society, with no two overlapping. Men are seen to be strong and emotionless whilst women are expected to show their emotions and are seen as submissive and gentle. For example, if a woman is seen to cry at an emotional moment in a movie, in a public cinema for instance, no individual around her would glance or question it, but if a male viewer was seen to cry openly and express such intense emotion, he may be exposed to ridicule or judgement. How fair this situation may be is often debated. For this paper the question of how such judgements occur will attempt to be answered. Why have social actors been encouraged to accept such stereotypes as a given? Why do individuals therefore find themselves accepting these roles for themselves? To understand gender identity it is important to make a distinction between sex and gender. Sex involves the biological and physical differences between men and women, whilst gender is culturally and socially learnt. Terminology such as male and female are sex based categories; however masculine and feminine are gendered categories. An individuals sex is a biological fact that is the same in any culture or society, nonetheless sex categorisation means, in terms of gender role as man or woman, can be viewed extremely differently across cultures ( WHO 2013). These gender roles can have a lasting impact in an individuals public and private identity. Although often used interchangeably, sex and gender are clearly different characteristics. Gender involves social customs, attributes and behaviours whereas sex can be seen as a more personal demonstration of such characteristics. In its simplest form sex is biological and gender is sociological. Gender role is seen sociologically as the characteristics and behaviours that society can attribute to the sexes. What it means to be a real man, in any society requires a male to be both recognised biologically as a man plus what the culture of that society defines as masculine characteristics and behaviours, likewise a real woman needs biological female attributes and feminine characteristics. Such stereotypical features are clearly defined for each sex, with those who break such guidelines being seen as deviant, outcasts in their given society. This paper will look further into what are expected gender behaviours and the sociological explanations for these expected personas. Gendered differences can depend on the given society and the cultural values, economic system, history and family structures that it holds, and are thoroughly maintained through these mediums. As a result of this a continuous loop-back effect between so called gendered institutions and the social construction of gender within individuals can be seen to exist (West and Zimmerman 1987) Gender identity goes beyond just recognising the physical biological gender characteristics belonging to male and female and identifying them from each other. Gender identity is in fact an internal and personal conception of how individuals view themselves as male or female and therefore how they conduct their actions within society. Gender cannot be equated with biological and physiological differences between human males and females. The building blocks of gender are socially constructed (Lorber 1994:17). As a social group, communities are embedded with gender, all members experience gender constructed experiences throughout their childhood, adolescence and eventually adulthood. These experiences are reproduced in and through those that they interact with. To what extent individuals accept the expected gender roles they are shown is debateable although no matter how much or how little they see themselves as masculine or feminine, gender can still influence their day to day existence. British sociology saw the only significant form of stratification within any given society was that of class. The term gender wasnt mentioned in early sociological thought, with any reference to difference between men and women categorised and referred to as sex. Sex being considered as an important and influential sociological concept only came into consideration with the emerging and developing feminist perspectives of the 1970s. Feminists had to fight through traditional theories to change existing thought on the concept of differences and inequalities brought about by an individuals gender and sex identity. Socialisation is a fundamental sociological concept and can be applied to many areas of society that are seen as important to sociological study. As highlighted earlier, socialisation is defined as the way in which an individual learns to become part of a group, including wider civilization, as well as their small immediate environment and community. Socialisation begins the moment an individual is born, and they encounter different degrees of the process throughout all their life stages in order to help them adapt to each and every social group they encounter. Socialisation also helps to equip a social actor with the tools they need to cope and bend with any changes that may occur within their existing social group. Given the importance of socialisation within the discipline of sociology as a whole, concentrating on a focused area of socialisation can help with building a general knowledge that can be applied to further study of sociology and its topics. Gender is something that is experienced and encountered by all members of any given society and there are many different theories about what exactly affects an individuals gender socialisation, but this paper shall focus on early socialisation and the influence family life can have in the socialisation process. Parental influence on gender identity A childs initial experiences come from their parents; therefore as a result their first experience with gender identity also comes from their close family environment. With the advancement in technology, expectant parents can learn the sex of their unborn child as early as 14-16 weeks into a pregnancy (nhs.co.uk). From that moment the words its a boy/girl! leave the technicians mouth, gender expectations begin. The most innocent of tasks such as buying a babys first blanket is gendered. A pretty pink flowered one for your baby girl is associated with the expectation that she will be soft and delicate, whereas purchasing a vivid blue truck covered blanket for the soon to be baby boy, can be seen to set him up to be strong and tough. Associating such gender traits in a simple act may seem extreme but it is just the start of teaching a child what is expected from their gender. The process of gender socialization can be seen to begin in the context of the family (McHale et al., 2003). The family unit is the environment that a child is introduced to the world in and what their developing gender demands. Although many factors are seen to have an influence on the socialisation of a child and teaching them what is expected from their gender, parents are seen to act as the principle source of socialisation, the primary socialising agents of a childs gender roles. (Block, 1983; Witt, 1997). Studies have shown that gendered treatment of children is evident in the first 24 hours after birth. Children internalize what they see from their parents behaviour and by the age of two, they have a compressive awareness of the difference in sex roles. Ruble and martin (1998) studied preschool children whose socialisation had only occurred at home (primary) and saw that children showed awareness of stereotyped gender traits. They could recognise males as having a higher power them females, but also associated negative connotations with a male figure, such as anger or unfriendliness, whereas they saw women as having less significant social standing but associated with positive traits such as kindness and approachableness. Children also demonstrated to discover gender identity through their own gendered perception. For instance, when asked to assign a sex or gender to a neutral doll, a girl would use female associations similar to them, whereas a boy child would make the doll into a male and demonstrate traits that are associated to societys masculine gendered attributes. Parents are seen to encourage such gendered behaviour by adhering to sex-based toys and games for their children, which have a heavy influence in the construction of gender identity and stereotypes. While both mothers and fathers contribute to the gender stereotyping of their children, fathers have been found to reinforce gender stereotypes more often than mothers do (Ruble, 1988). Lytton and Romney (1991) conducted a meta-analysis of 172 parents and their treatment of the boy versus girl children they were raising. Within this study, Lytton and Romney discovered that out of multiple identified socialisation areas; the only area that showed mothers and fathers treating children differently was giving them activities based on their separate genders. Giving boys and girls activities initially based on their sex, resulted in an enforcement of gender roles and becoming gender orientated. Encouraging their daughters to play house or with dolls and prams, or by allowing their sons to play with trucks or building blocks, parents may both knowingly and unknowingly be encouraging their childs future gendered persona. Perhaps due to an influence of western culture norms, Lytton and Romney saw that parents scold and punish boys more severely in the advent of misbehaving or going out of their gendered expectations, then that they do with female children. This idea shall be further explored in a later section of this paper. A further study, this time by Cowan and Hoffman (1986), saw that a childs first words are also seen as gendered. For instance, being taught to assign a different name to each of their parents, mother for female carer and father for male carer, demonstrates how parental influence takes place. Hoffman also noted that the

Death and Love in Little Women Essays -- Louisa May Alcott, Little Wom

   "Four women, taught by weal and woe To love and labor in their prime. Four sisters, parted for an hour, None lost, one only gone..." (365-366). Jo wrote these lines in a poem, after Beth died. This is the most significant struggle for Jo. Jo and Beth are the two middle sisters in the classic novel, Little Women (1869) written by Louisa May Alcott. This is a classic novel about an American family of four daughters, a father who is off at war and a mother who works for the food. Jo and Beth are best friends and Jo sets the example for Beth. Beth first gets sick when Mother goes off to take care of Father, who got seriously ill in the war. Beth comes down with scarlet fever that she caught from the baby down the road. Beth requests that Jo stay by her side, which she does. Beth was sicker then any one, other then the doctor and Hannah (the servant) thought. Jo decides to send for her mother, as she can not handle the burden by herself. Jo admits to Teddy that "Beth is my conscience and I can't give her up. I can't! I can't!" (143) As time elapses, both Mother and Father come home and Beth starts feeling better. Beth also starts to fall in love with Teddy (the boy next door), who loves Jo instead. Teddy asks Jo to marry him, she declines, for she does not love him and knows that Beth loves him. Beth starts to become better and Jo decides that it would be a good thing for her to move to New York, to get away from it all. In New York, Jo lives with a family friend, and becomes their families mistress. Jo meets Professor Fredrick Bhaer, a German teacher, and becomes good friends. Jo forgets about the engagement proposal, but keeps in touch with Teddy and her family. After a year, Jo gets word again that B... ... her. She sits down and writes a poem about her three sisters and herself. It turns out to be a beautiful poem about their lives thus far, and what shall become of them, in her mind. After she is done she lets her husband read it and then she burns it, as to get rid of all the painful memories that came with the writing.    After Jo had got married, had her babies, and opened up the school for the boys, she learned that every day and every person is a gift from God. She also learned to be thankful that she had Beth for as long as she did, and to treasure the memories. "Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and sad and dreary" (375). Even though, Jo thought she had lost the best thing in her life, she learned to move on.    Bibliography Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women, Children's Classic Garden City New York, 1869   

Child Abuse Essay

If you were placed in a position were your life was put into danger would you risk escaping? This question was asked by Jaycee Dugard everyday during her eighteen year being held captive. In her memoir A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard explains to us why she didn’t try to run from her abductor Philip Garrido even though she was given so many chances to do so. In most situations it is very difficult for victims to escape their abusers control. In the past it was near impossible for victims of abduction to escape safely on their own. With the realization that â€Å"We have seen a significent increase in the number of thru the means of strangers, family or friends† (Amber Alert 1). It has been easier to help child abduction victims with systems like the Amber Alert system, yet it is still difficult for the victims to leave on their own. Abuse victims along with Dugard also struggle with gaining the strength to leave. Years after Dugard was rescued she says â€Å"You must find your voice and not be afraid to speak up† (Dugard 148). Something she regrets doing while being held captive. In the end the claim that victims of abuse should take more responsibility to escaoe their abusers control should be challenges because of the difficulty to escape their abusers control and to gain the strength to leave. Not only do child victims of abuse deal with the control of their abuser, but many adults deal with the same issue. Many women deal with the challenge of leaving their abusive partner, but fail because of the partner control and power they have over their victims. Many women find it difficult because they remain emotionally and economically dependent on their batterer (Domestic Violence 1). In most marital situations their is a cycle of abuse and the family’s life becomes a cycle of violence. â€Å"The man who was terrifying and intimidating turns into a remorseful, needy, and dependent man. The woman who was battered then will feel sorry for the man and recommit to him in a fantasized hope that the abuse won’t happen again. But the cycle of abuse will begin again, often becoming worse† (Domestic Violence 2). In order to escape this abuse the cycle must be broken. According to Blich, â€Å"Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females then males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims† (Blich 1). After being abducted children are usually brainwashed and manipulated, gaining the abductor even more control. This is what happened in Dugards situation. Philip Garrido, Dugards  abductor, told her that he was hurting her so he wouldn’t have to hurt other little girls, thereby making Dugard feel that if she did try to leave it would be her fault for the pain he caused others (Dugard 158). In doing so Garrido gained complete control over Dugard. However strong you are most can agree that it is very difficult to leave somebody you are dependent on, yet it is necessary if you want t o go on happily. Therefore the claim that abuse victims should take more responsibility to escape their control is difficult for anyone. Many will argue that people who are abused should take more responsibility to to escape from their abuser. In some situations outsiders will argue that we should outsmart our abuser and learn from it making us stronger to leave. According to The Washington Post, â€Å"They escaped these things not through the efforts of good samaritans, but through recognizing a bad situation and either getting away from it, avoiding it or screaming and kicking to draw attention† (St. George 1). This proves that children are capable not responsible. Another argument is that the child who is being abducted should be able to help themselves and escape the situation. â€Å"The child should do whatever is necessary to stay out of the car, because once the child is in that car, it dramatically reduces the chances of escape† (St. George 2). This is a lot of responsibility put onto a young child. How do we expect an eight year-old girl to escape a potential abuser if many forty year-old women cant leave an abuser they have been with for years. During Dugard’s eighteen year abduction several visuals were taken to show the pain of her loved ones. It can be proven that many were concerned with her abduction. In the visual â€Å"Missing† published in The Telegraph (2009). We are shown both Dugards mother, Terry Probyn, and step-father, Carl Probyn, they look heartbroken and distressed. Some would argue that with how much Jaycee Dugard knew she was loved, she should of gained enough strength and motivation to escape and go back to living her everyday life. However she was unaware of this while being held captive. The argument that in domestic abuse options are available to leave or available to encourage victims to leave is true, yet difficult. Victims have the option of professional help and gaining awareness of the situation. With the cycle of abuse it is very hard to get to the point were you understand you need the help, then there is the struggle of actually going ahead and doing it. Regardless of the several arguments that people can challenge we have proof from specific  situations like Dugard’s along with more common issue like marital dispute that without finding overall strength and gaining the courage to escape the abuser control it is impossible to escape and go back to your normal life. Gaining strength is one of the most difficult things to do in life. One way we gain strength is having support and happiness. How do we gain strength if we don’t have either? This faces millions of people daily who are in abusive relationships. They simply cant find the strength to leave. In Dugards memoir she says although she is unhappy she is too afraid of the risk of leaving and doesn’t know how she wo uld be able to take care of herself and her two daughters. â€Å"One of the reasons I stayed was I wanted my kids to be safe. The outside was scary for me. I was so afraid that if i left or tried to leave and take them both with me I wouldn’t be able to protect them† (Dugard 276). Even her knowing the fact that if she were to escape successfully her daughters could have a much better life, yet if they weren’t successful they would have to continue living in hiding in the backyard of Garrido’s home. She didn’t have enough strength to take the risk although the successful end results were so much better then her current situation. In abuse situations victims struggle with the same issue of strength. In between the cycle of abuse there is only a small gap between the man being violent and the women feeling remorseful and forgiving him. Where gaining the strength in between that small gap is difficult especially when it would need to be regained the next time the abuse restarts. Women also have other options. Most women have a supportive family or homes they can go to keep safe. But strength is key and difficult to obtain when one is constantly bringing you down. Although more options are available to leave, like hot-line cards in bathrooms for abuse victims or Dugard being taken into public with the option to run, we need strength to take them. Strength is a necessity to leave making the claim that abuse victims are responsible for leaving their abuser difficult to prove. In conclusion finding the courage to leave an abuser is an unthinkable challenge to those placed in that position. Without finding the strength and escaping the overwhelming control of the abuser its near impossible. As time goes on there becomes more options for abuse to happen or lead to abuse. â€Å"One in five children ten to seventeen receive unwanted sexual solicitations online† (Blich 1), which can lead to a more serious abuse. No matter how different the situations  are the abuse victims suffer through they can relate back to the same struggles. According to Jayvee Dugard after her long term abuse she refers to life today as â€Å"A light that I thought had been extinguished was coming back to life† (Dugard 238). While in the position of abuse its difficult to find the strength, but it can be gained again. The difficulty of escaping the abuser will also be difficult. It will remain difficult while recovering from the abuse. The claim that people should take more responsibility to escape their abusers? False.

A Guide to Ethnomethodology

A Guide to Ethnomethodology Ethnomethodology is the study of how people use social interaction to maintain an ongoing sense of reality in a situation. To gather data, ethnomethodologists rely on ​conversation analysis and a rigorous set of techniques for systematically observing and recording what happens when people interact in natural settings. It is an attempt to classify the actions people take when they are acting in groups.   Origins of Ethnomethodology Harold Garfinkel originally came up with the idea for ethnomethodology at jury duty. He wanted to explain how the people organized themselves into a jury. He was interested in how people act in particular social situations, especially ones outside of the daily norm like serving as a juror.   Examples of Ethnomethodology A conversation is a social process that requires certain things in order for participants to identify it as a conversation and keep it going. People look at each other, nod their heads in agreement, ask and respond to questions, etc. If these methods are not used correctly, the conversation breaks down and is replaced by another sort of social situation.

Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician

Throughout the history of music, many great composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have left indelible marks and influences that people today look back on to admire and aspire to. No exception to this idiom is Johann Sebastian Bach, whose impact on music was unforgettable to say the least. People today look back to his writings and works to both learn and admire. Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuoso instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ, which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rigorously until his skills surpassed anyone’s expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on the organ, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach’s masterful s kill pa! id off for him at an early age (Geiringer). After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Lunenburg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, he left his brother’s tutelage and went to go and study there. The teenage years brought Bach to several parts of Germany where he mainly worked as an organist in churches, since that was the skill he had perfected the best from his young training. However, a master of several instruments while still in his teens, Bach first found employment at the age of 18 as a violini... Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician Throughout the history of music, many great composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have left indelible marks and influences that people today look back on to admire and aspire to. No exception to this idiom is Johann Sebastian Bach, whose impact on music was unforgettable to say the least. People today look back to his writings and works to both learn and admire. Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuoso instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ, which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rigorously until his skills surpassed anyone’s expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on the organ, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach’s masterful s kill pa! id off for him at an early age (Geiringer). After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Lunenburg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, he left his brother’s tutelage and went to go and study there. The teenage years brought Bach to several parts of Germany where he mainly worked as an organist in churches, since that was the skill he had perfected the best from his young training. However, a master of several instruments while still in his teens, Bach first found employment at the age of 18 as a violini...

Analysis of Crimes of The Heart essays

Analysis of Crimes of The Heart essays 2. The scenes take place in the home of the Magrath sisters. (Actually it's their grandfather's house, but it is cared for and inhabited primarily by Lenny Magrath.) 3. The house is old, the exact age and condition is not described. 1. The play takes place in the summer sometime during the late 19 70's to early 1980's. 2. The play takes place soon after the birthday of Lenny Magrath, which has a special significance to the characters. 1.The 3 Magrath sisters, Lenny, Babe, and Meggy, are the main cluster of characters. The other three characters are Chick, a Magrath cousin, Barnette, Babe's attorney, and Doc Porter, an old friend of Meg and Lenny. A character that is often talked about is Granddaddy, yet he is never seen. 1. The Magrath sisters complete the different portions that fufill society's image of an ordinary woman. Each of these women play the roles that a normal woman plays such as wife, mother, daughter, and sister. Barnette is a lawyer who is defending Babe, whom he is infatuated with. Doc Porter is a father of two and a husband who once wanted to be a doctor, who now apparently owns a small ranch, he also spent time as a house painter. Granddaddy is an old man who is in the hospital. 2. It seems that all the characters have a mutual respect for each other, aside from Chick who has strong opinions concerning Meg. As I have mentioned the character of Barnette is infatuated with Babe. Babe and Lenny both feel that Meg has always been treated better by their Grandmother and Grandfather. 4. The Characters all live in a democratic nation. 5. The characters pay no attention to religion, it is rarely mentioned in the play. 6. The prevailing attitudes of the characters are that family is important, sex is not considered a bad thing. They seem to con ...

Strategic Management of Amazon Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic Management of Amazon - Research Paper Example ompanies in the Internet space), Adobe eBook Reader (with this collaboration Amazon beat a major advantage of its competitor, it is estimated that the e-book will be in a few years cheaper than a physical book, and it is already known that this new medium has created its own public, which Amazon.com wants to penetrate). By entering in the European market, it has broadened its customer database, it has compressed transport and distribution costs of orders and it has improved the levels of customer service, thus gaining a significant share of the global market. It expands its customer base to new markets in order to augment its profit margin (the structure exists - it has a powerful customer database - it introduces new products - it penetrates new Internet markets - it improves its profit margin). Amazon is very profitable. ... The decrease in profits was due to special customer promotions. Amazon locks-in the customer by offering him value through original - innovative value added services and it enhances continuously the content of its webpage. Amazon does not sell in the traditional way, it offers customized service. If indeed, we take account of the fact that the confidence-loyalty of Internet customers is for many analysts of a kind of utopia, it is understood immediately that the strategy of Amazon.com is revolutionary. The company has built a large capital value part of which is its strong name - brand in the Internet and with the experience that it has gained, it manages to exploit its reputation to attract both customers and partners - suppliers by concluding strong relations - partnerships with many competitive advantages and benefits. For Amazon.com the customers and the suppliers are simply two different groups of customers who Amazon undertakes to interconnect by providing them with incentives and transaction facilities. The company is essentially an info broker. The company is an undisputed player in the world of on line cooperation, offering a wide range of programs. Through the continuous provision of incentives, it has managed to succeed and achieve various alliances and syndication makes the company ubiquitous in the Internet and so its brand is strengthened. Amazon.com has managed to transform its product markets into an easy and pleasant procedure mainly due to the use of IT and its innovative applications (1-click Technology).The appropriate use of technology favors the increase in sales by essentially contributing to the lock-in of the customer. Communication with the customer is of even greater value through the logistics procedures of

Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care year 2 Essay

Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care year 2 - Essay Example Management on the other hand refers to an organizational process where there is strategic planning, objective setting, resource management, deployment of human as well as financial assets to achieve strategic objectives of a given company. In dealing with youths that are developing addiction to drinking, leadership styles are very important to consider in view of looking at the best style to apply. There are several leadership styles that can be applied. The first style is transformational style. In this style, there is an emphasis on the development of motivation, team building, involvement of collaboration and is purely based on their ideas. This method is wholesome in that the employees are able to create a relationship with subjects and develop into a positive outcome. The second type of style is transactional. In this type of leadership, there is maintenance of status quo through use of reinforcements. Inducements are used to create a continually positive flow of activities to m aintain some form of status. These two are broad and inculcate characteristics of a wide range of styles. Dictatorship is also another style that exists. In this case, all the rules and regulations are made by the leadership. All other people are subjective and cannot take part in decision making. It is similar to autocratic or authoritative leadership. Leadership by democracy is another style in which the will of the people prevail. It is participative in which the views of the people contribute to the final decision made. Laissez faire is another type of leadership that can be used. In this case, the leader is a ceremonial occupant to the position. The leader does not provide leadership but there is a free will to the subordinates to decide on what to do. Narcissistic leadership is a type of leadership in which the leader has interest in satisfying himself alone. All the discussed types of styles are relevant in creating a positive

Radiotherapy in cancer care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Radiotherapy in cancer care - Essay Example Nevertheless, besides radiotherapy destroying the cancers cells, it also affects the normal tissues of the person receiving the treatment. This unintentional damage of normal tissues is often termed as toxicity. This toxicity often comes in hand with many sides effects. These include fatigue, radiation enteritis, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, sore skin and joint or muscle stiffness. In cancer treatment, fatigue is a common side effect of radiation treatment. Fatigue is the most distressing symptom. It is much beyond the burden caused by nausea and pain. Research has proved that more than 75% of the patients who undergo radiotherapy in their cancer treatment complain of fatigue during and after the process (Cancer Net, n.d). This has induced a negative effect on the management of cancer. This is because it sometimes becomes severe affecting the life of the patients (Barsevick, Dudley & Beck, 2006). According to Dr, Vogelzang report, about a third of the patients considered fatigue as the most significant symptom of radiotherapy while almost 70% described it as the worst side effect. Studies have found that fatigue and skin problems were the most frequently reported side effects of patients undergoing radiation for lung cancer, although levels of fatigue were higher at the start of treatment compared to women treated with radiotherapy for breast cancer (Corner, & Bailey, 2009). Fatigue is recognized as a common symptom of radiotherapy, which not only occurs during treatment but also continues after the Radiotherapy has ended. The incidence of moderate to severe fatigue following radiotherapy has been reported as between 32% and 59% of those undergoing treatment trajectories (Dauz, Duccy, Scars, et al, 2001). Research has shown that management of fatigue is often limited during radiotherapy, with an undue focus on anaemia-related problems rather than providing wider support

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Statistics - Essay Example In fact, in all the home fires that were reported during the period of the survey, smoke alarms were installed in the respective homes. Nonetheless, there still remains much more to be done in order to meet the objective of making people safe in their homes. Considering the 4% of the households that do not have fire alarms, Ahrens (2014) places the count at about 5 million. This was the cause of 37% home fire deaths. Even aggravating the issue further is the finding that of all the reported fires during the period of NFPA study, only 52% of the fire alarms operated. The malfunctioning of these fire alarms was the cause of the 23% of home fire deaths. Therefore, fire alarms play a crucial role of saving human lives from home fires. However, statistics show that much more need to be undertaken to have more homes install these devices and have them function as required. Ahrens, M. (2014, March). Smoke alarms in U.S. home fires. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 1 July 2014 from

News conference case studies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

News conference studies - Case Study Example Additionally, the company has a long-term perspective of its investments. It focuses its resources and efforts towards the creation of value through superior performance and growth. This background of Najafi Companies motivated Chef Paula Deen to seek the firm’s assistance in her comeback. Her former employee faced Chef Paula Deen with a number of challenges following the allegations. As a result, she lost her cooking show and lucrative endorsement deals. Additionally, she was forced to close down her restaurant. In the process of exploring her future, and position in the industry, Chef Deen identified Najafi Companies as an important investment partner. Chef Deen intends to build on Najafi Companies strong brand presence and heritage as part of her transformation (Najafi Companies 1). Therefore, Chef Paula Deen and Najafi Companies would like to announce their partnership and the launch of Deen’s debut cooking show, product launch and book deals. The essence of the new partnership is based on mutual partnership. Najafi Companies has invested $75 million in the new Paula Deen Ventures. The venture will be responsible for the debut of new cooking shows, product and book deals. The essence of the new partnership captures the nature of Paula Deen as a resilient person. It also outlines the nature of Najafi Companies as a company that is willing to invest in struggling groups, people, entities and businesses (Najafi Companies 1). Therefore, Paula Deen’s customers, business partners and audiences should expect a positive experience from the new venture. The new venture is a milestone for Paula Deen. Today’s announcement is a renewal of Deen’s promise to her audience and customers. Paula Deen intends to focus all her efforts and resources towards the satisfaction of her customers. The partnership between Paula Deen and Najafi Companies is three fold. First, customers will have an easier time to

Theory of knowledge- When should we discard explanations that are Essay - 1

Theory of knowledge- When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing - Essay Example ally, I believe that it has some roots in our subconscious because with the help of it we express those ideas which we are unable to share or act upon otherwise; as those ideas cannot be supported by rationality. So, basically our instinct gets its guideline from our submissive feelings. The question demands here, should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing? Before giving concluding remarks we have to view the subject in the light of other knowledge-related issues like science. First take this example of my own:Â  I used to eat an excessive amount of chocolates on a daily basis, I am just obsessed with it; apart from the fact that it contains considerable amount of fat. But because I wanted to be able to justify my habit of eating chocolates in such large quantities, I did some research on the benefits which chocolate offers and found that it contains certain amount of chemicals like tryptophan, phenyl ethylamine and theobromine, that are good for the human brain and that, its consumption give some extra benefits to the human body, mind and spirit (Duke and Yeager 26). These facts illustrate that it has some good nutrition elements in it that are find effective for the mind due to its ability of reducing tension. Thus, it formed the basis of an in tuitively appealing explanation that would help me justify my obsession. Although these facts may have been proven, but those small percentages did not actually prove that it constitute a healthy eating habit. Without a doubt, the fact that it was made of more than half fat and sugar proved the exact opposite. So was I still able to accept my intuitively appealing explanation? The main idea of this example was to show that intuitively appealing explanations that are false, with obvious evidence against it, should be discarded. So, we get a new idea here: we are talking about those explanations that are not definitely wrong and which are appealing to our intuition. The definitions of our actions as having

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Statistics - Essay Example In fact, in all the home fires that were reported during the period of the survey, smoke alarms were installed in the respective homes. Nonetheless, there still remains much more to be done in order to meet the objective of making people safe in their homes. Considering the 4% of the households that do not have fire alarms, Ahrens (2014) places the count at about 5 million. This was the cause of 37% home fire deaths. Even aggravating the issue further is the finding that of all the reported fires during the period of NFPA study, only 52% of the fire alarms operated. The malfunctioning of these fire alarms was the cause of the 23% of home fire deaths. Therefore, fire alarms play a crucial role of saving human lives from home fires. However, statistics show that much more need to be undertaken to have more homes install these devices and have them function as required. Ahrens, M. (2014, March). Smoke alarms in U.S. home fires. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved 1 July 2014 from

Theory of knowledge- When should we discard explanations that are Essay - 1

Theory of knowledge- When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing - Essay Example ally, I believe that it has some roots in our subconscious because with the help of it we express those ideas which we are unable to share or act upon otherwise; as those ideas cannot be supported by rationality. So, basically our instinct gets its guideline from our submissive feelings. The question demands here, should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing? Before giving concluding remarks we have to view the subject in the light of other knowledge-related issues like science. First take this example of my own:Â  I used to eat an excessive amount of chocolates on a daily basis, I am just obsessed with it; apart from the fact that it contains considerable amount of fat. But because I wanted to be able to justify my habit of eating chocolates in such large quantities, I did some research on the benefits which chocolate offers and found that it contains certain amount of chemicals like tryptophan, phenyl ethylamine and theobromine, that are good for the human brain and that, its consumption give some extra benefits to the human body, mind and spirit (Duke and Yeager 26). These facts illustrate that it has some good nutrition elements in it that are find effective for the mind due to its ability of reducing tension. Thus, it formed the basis of an in tuitively appealing explanation that would help me justify my obsession. Although these facts may have been proven, but those small percentages did not actually prove that it constitute a healthy eating habit. Without a doubt, the fact that it was made of more than half fat and sugar proved the exact opposite. So was I still able to accept my intuitively appealing explanation? The main idea of this example was to show that intuitively appealing explanations that are false, with obvious evidence against it, should be discarded. So, we get a new idea here: we are talking about those explanations that are not definitely wrong and which are appealing to our intuition. The definitions of our actions as having

Peer Violence Essay Example for Free

Peer Violence Essay Peer violence/abuse is something that takes place in the everyday life of some people and their families. Peer violence/abuse is when a person undergoes improper or unfair physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, unjust practices, wrongful practice or custom, offense, and crime. There are many different types of peer violence such as verbal, physical, cyber bullying, and social alienation. As you continue to read you will better understand the effect, consequences (in school and out of school), and examples of peer violence. Youth violence has played a big part of everyday life for some; youth violence includes bullying, punching, slapping, verbal abuse and using weapons, towards another. These violent acts are a disruption to people’s lively-hoods and to the learning process. The most serious effect that youth violence has on people is death and injury; most students are victims of homicides in the schools and suicides at home. Most of these deaths occur before, after, or during lunchtime. Other victims can be examples of nonfatal injuries like cuts, broken bones, bruises and even gunshot wounds. Some can even have a long-term effect on a person emotionally/mentally, a person can suffer depression, fear other people, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress which does not just effect the person but it also effects the persons immediate family and close friends. Peer violence can affect the way a child lives and their lives, they will feel shame for being a victim and won’t tell anybody what’s going on and could be afraid that the problem might escalate if they do tell a trusted adult. In recent news, in Southern Las Vegas two brothers were sentenced to jail and correctional facilities for the bullying of a disabled boy who attended their school. The boys had one of their friends record the attacking of the boy and posted it on YouTube. One of the boys was sentenced to 12 months of probation and 40 hours of community service while the other was sentenced to serve time at Spring Mountain Youth Camp with supervision until released. Consequences are one of the things many people do not think about before they began bullying each other or began attacking one another. In most schools a punishment is 3 to 6 days of suspension and even a court date with the victim. In Las Vegas depending on your age you can get anything from probation to 30 days in a juvenile correction center or a correctional center such as boy’s town or Spring Mountain Youth Camp. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Medication\ http://www.modernmom.com/article/the-effects-of-school-violence-on-victims http://www.modernmom.com/article/the-effects-of-school-violence-on-victims

Communication and Relationship Building In Patient Care

Communication and Relationship Building In Patient Care Communication and relationship building are two concepts which enables health and social care practitioners to deliver a service/care that is person centred. Ferguson et al. (2013) defines patient centred care as care that focuses directly on the patient’s needs. This requires healthcare practitioners, such as nurses and doctors, not only to be able to communicate well with patients but also to build good, strong relationships with them over a period of time if necessary so that they can counsel patients effectively (Reynolds, 2009). In child nursing, family-centred care is used as well as patient centred care, as parents or carers will be the ones to make the decisions about their child unless the child is capable of doing this themselves. Even so, in this situation the needs of the child still have to be met (Young et al., 2006). Fegran (2008) suggests that family-centred care, which is care focused on the patient and their family holistically, has been found to be the best approach in neonatal and paediatric clients. Communication and relationship building are vital to ensure that the client receives the correct possible outcome for their needs. Communication is a necessary fundamental value of patient centred care (Bensing et al., 2000). Department of Health (2010) define communication as an exchange between two or more people to pass on information, thoughts or feelings and suggest that there are two ways in which this can be done; verbally (e.g. speech, written word) and non-verbally (e.g. facial expressions and body language). The study of the origins of ‘communicatio’ are sharing or distributing (Mackay, 1999). Blom-Cooper et al. (1996) found that in the past, communication skills have been seen to be a weakness of the NHS and have often resulted in malpractice claims such as miscommunication of confidential patients’ details which can have serious consequences. Hence, Moss (2008, p.1) states that Communication skills are therefore at the very heart of people work. Non-verbal and verbal communication together increase the persons’ understanding of the message being conveyed by five times the amount compared with verbal communication alone (Argyle, 1992). Non-verbal communication relies on interactions such as facial expressions and body language. Touch is also a type of nonverbal communication and can be used to express care, empathy and solace (Reynolds, 2002). On a recent placement at a neonatal unit, positive touch and massage was found to be a great comfort for certain individuals and staff encouraged parents/carers to use this technique if the baby was too ill to handle. Positive touch and massage have a calming influence over the infant and help to build up a relationship between the child and the parent (Bond, 2013). Therefore on future assessed placements, positive touch will be used and encouraged with others as it proved an excellent general technique found to help calm infants and aid parents/carers bond with their child. Verb al communication relies on the content of speech but can also be in various written forms such as emails and text messages. (Hargie, 2011). Verbal communication can be used on placements to speak to other staff, parents and patients. From experience and Cockcroft (2012), writing care plans and daily evaluations for the next staff member who looks after the child is essential as they can see any changes made, any issues had and any messages that need conveying. Sensory impairments such as deafness, blindness or multi-sensory impairments (MSI) must be taken into consideration, as the persons ability to communicate and receive and understand crucial information is severely strained. (Sense [no date]) It should also be understood that if someone has MSI, then other senses are likely to be impaired so problems may occur with spacial awareness, balance and over/under sensitive touch. These problems can cause difficulties with non-verbal communication methods. Individualised care is pivotal as every patient will have preferences as to how they will communicate with others. Sense [no date] discuss that relationship building may take slightly longer with a person with a sensory impairment as they may not be able to pick up on verbal or non-verbal communication used by practitioners, for example a blind person will not be able to pick up facial expressions used and a deaf person will not be able to pick up changes in the tone of voice used. When vis iting a hospital environment, parents/carers should be encouraged to continue the childs communication system and routine as much as possible, as this will help to reduce stress and the childs fear levels. Sense [no date] realise that it is important that the hospital staff understand how the child usually communicates e.g. sign language, gestures or technical aids. On my last placement I observed that it only takes a short amount of time for parents to get to know their infants behaviours, likes and dislikes and requirements. Therefore, on my next assessed placement, I will be able to quickly recognise non-verbal indicators of the infants needs such as crying and facial expressions. A practitioner needs to have good communication skills so that they can take the background of the patient and be able to explain and give information correctly, explore the patients current situation, discuss and negotiate options such as treatment plans, convey precise data to associates and present their co-workers with the patients case. (Xie et al. 2013) All these factors are essential in the communication between colleagues and between different departments to ensure the correct information is exchanged. An example of this from my previous placement is during handover on the ward, where at the end of the shift the next nurse takes over patients that you have cared for. The nurse needs to know everything about the patient such as the previous history of the patient, any medication given or any changes to medication and any serious problems such as apnoeas. If this does not occur then problems will arise when taking care of the patient. Paediatric nurses also need to be able to a pply different communication skills depending on the age of the patient.This was observed during a recent placement on a neonatal ward where staff had to promote and actively engage in communication with parents, as it isnt possible for the patients themselves to understand what the staff need to tell them. This is an approach that is likely to continue continue throughout most of the career of a child nurse, unless the patient is able to understand the message being conveyed. In this case, the type of communication used will need to be changed to engage the patient in the conversation and the planning of treatment if applicable. In relation to practice, a healthcare practitioner should be reminded that not everybody wants what I would want in a healthcare situation (Allen and Brock, 2000, p.48). This is a good first step for assessing how to approach an individual as it allows them to consider what the patient may want, but also about how the patient may communicate. Bensing et al. (2000) found that this type of approach allows focus on the patient’s personality and preferences, instead of just general approach to communication. Allen and Brock (2000) suggest that if the first step works, then the second step would be to keep communicating and working with the patient in the same way if not then other action is required. Allen and Brock (2000) discuss four questions that should be asked in this instance: Is this person an extrovert or an introvert? Is this person focusing on the bigger picture or just specifics? Is this a person analysing using logical implication or the impact on people? Is this per son interested only in the closure or the processing of the situation? These questions will help the healthcare practitioner decide how best to communicate with their client and build their relationship to gain a strong bond. This helps to support a service as the clients will gain confidence in that person and begin to trust them. On my last placement I considered these four questions whilst interacting with a parent on the ward and found I could communicate better with them as I knew how to approach them. In the future these questions will be asked by myself everytime I work with a client. This means I will be able to build up a good, strong, trusting relationship with the clients and this way we can aim to reach the goal we want to achieve much more efficiently. The outcomes of the four questions discussed by Allen and Brock (2000) can also be applied to relationships between people working as part of a team. The questions show that there are different personalities within each t eam of practitioners and people will react differently in different situations. On my last placement a crash call was sent to my mentor and we had to attend immediately. As this was a new experience I tried to remain calm as becoming fraught would not help the situation but afterwards I found myself a little shook up as I realised that the crash call could not have gone as well as it had done. A popular American model for teaching and assessing communication skills is the SEGUE framework. SEGUE is an acronym for Set the stage, Elicit information, Give information, Understand the patient’s perspective, End the encounter (Makoul, 2001, p.23). This can be used by an individual to figure out the best type of communication to use, and how they can apply it to the situation. It also allows reflection and possibly improvement on interactions with patients. Morehouse School of Medicine (2013) describe the actions that take place during the five stages. The first stage would be greeting the patient, establishing the reason for their visit and finding out what the patient knows about their condition. The second stage would be to find out what the patient would like to know about their condition and any problems they may be having. The third stage would be to give them the information they require in a simplified, direct way. The fourth stage would be to acknowledge any change s the patient may have e.g. challenges they face. The fifth stage would be to end the encounter and review the treatment plan if necessary. Gantert et al. (2008) defines relationship building as a relationship that evolves over time by the use of interactions. A nurse-client relationship is constructed to meet the needs of the client and it is imperative that the formed relationship remains professional (CRNBC, 2006). A nurses ability to build good relationships with patients, parents/carers and other healthcare practitioners is vital because the needs of the patient will be met and so it is highly likely that the patient could experience better health (Nursing Times, 2009). McNaughton (2005) suggests that relationships are established by interactions between individuals and through this, trust is built and confidence in the other person is created. This enhances a groups ability to respect each other and work well together to reach a target (Amnis, [no date]). McNaughton (2005) found that collaborative problem solving can only occur when trust is present between the nurse and the client, as only then will the client dis close any anxieties they may have. Amnis [no date] recognise that relationship building is of great importance in healthcare because it allows different groups of people to collaborate so that services provided are of the highest standard. Amnis [no date] also suggest that ongoing relationship building is essential due to extra stresses on the healthcare system, such as budget cuts leading to less staff being employed and an increasing demand on the use of the system. Good relationships are needed within the team as it makes them work more effectively together and this is achieved via good communication skills. A previous neonatal placement taught students that the stronger the bond with the babys parents, the easier it was to influence and support them with any decision making. Fegran (2008) found that whilst it is important for the nurse to have a good relationship with the parents, it is essential to encourage a relationship between the parents and baby. This was demonstrated on placement by regular visits from parents and them completing cares for the child, for example changing their nappy and bathing them. Allen and Brock (2000) suggest that if a patient has a similar personality type and share the same behaviours as the practitioner, then the response will be more positive and the client will be more persuasive and easier to talk to. This has also been found to affect patient adherence to treatment (Stewart et al., 1999). This is not always applicable to every situation as not everyone has the same interests, and parents make vital decisions on behalf of their child. However, by healthcare practitioners speaking to parents and relatives and trying to find a common interest, they may feel more involved and much more likely to admit if they have a concern. This can be applied to any future placements as once parents and relatives establish a relationship with you, through the use of communcation, they may feel your advice is more trustworthy and adhere to it. Reeder (1972) states until recently, patients were seen as clients, often leaving important decisions in the hands of the practitioner, and health providers seen as practitioners. However patients are now seen as consumers, and this has given them more power as they expect to be able to voice their opinions, be guided and tell the health provider what they require. Practitioners are now seen as health providers and are able to discuss options and build up a strong relationship with the consumer (Reeder, 1972). However, some patients want practitioners to be mainly responsible for the decisions of their treatment but feel involved in the process at the same time, as the patients feel able to trust the decisions of the professional more than their own. In this situation the practitioner needs to be able to individualise their patient and try and put forth the right decision for that individual, which may result in the same illnesses being treated in different ways. It it vitally import ant that the consumer is able to communicate and trust the healthcare provider (Mendick et al., 2010). From previous experience I feel this as a patient myself because if I didnt trust my consultant then I would not have agreed to a complex operation which could have had serious implications on my life had it have gone wrong. In terms of paediatric nursing, it is important to discuss options with the clients parent/carer as they are the ones to make the ultimate decisions, after a relationship has been established. Consequently, on my next placement I will communicate well using both verbal and non-verbal skills and use not only patient-centred care, but family-centred care. Good relationships between the patient and the practitioner are key to patient centred care, however paediatric nurses also need to work in partnership with the family as this achieves the best outcome for the child. This was found during my first work placement as by working with one of the babys fathers, the baby was able to go home earlier than expected. The father learnt how to change a nasogastric tube so that he would be able to to do it at home as well as feeding the baby via the tube. A study found that instead of just focusing on the medical problem the child may have, building a relationship and supporting a family whilst helping to sort out the medical problem at the same time is essential for a child nurse. This approach is more individualised care as opposed to using general medical nursing skills (Robinson, 1982). This was observed on a previous placement as all staff focused primarily on the childs medical problem but also on building a relationship with the family by keeping them up to date on their childs condition, communicating with the family during visits and including them in the childs daily routine so that they feel included. In conclusion communication and relationship building is essential for efficient patient centred care.

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Essay example --

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Science is a very important subject for students to study in middle school. It is â€Å"More than a body of knowledge or a set of answers, science is a way of thinking about the world† (Beamon 20). Science forces students to think critically about ethical issues, such as pollution. This is often difficult for students because they must make the jump from the narrow parameters of their own lives to the issues that affect many people living on this planet. In studying pollution, students must come to realize that even throwing garbage on the ground and not recycling will in some way affect many of the living things in the ecosystem. The feeling commonly described by students by the words â€Å"I hate science† is often the result of science frustrating them. One reason why students might feel this way is that there are two types of sciences. One is â€Å"school science†, which has in many cases become a listing of facts and definitions, and the other is â€Å"real science†, which is what scientists practice. Maybe the students spend too much time on â€Å"school science† and do not make the connection between what is learned in science class and the world around them. The teacher’s job is not only to make the science material manageable for the students to learn, but it is also to show the students how science applies to everyone and everything. Using the problem-based learning approach is a great way for a teacher to combine these two sciences (Uyeda et al. 24). It is the key that a teacher uses to open the door to the minds of students who need to know how what they are learning applies to the real world. Problem-based learning as an instructional model is associated with the new... ... Works Cited Beamon, Glenda W. â€Å"Guiding the Inquiry of Young Adolescent Minds.† Middle School Journal. 33.3 (Jan. 2002): 19-27. Goodnough, Karen Ph.D. â€Å"Preparing pre-service science teachers: Can problem-based learning help?† 22 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Kim, Younghoon, et al. â€Å"Science teachers’ perspectives of web-enhanced problem-based learning environment: A qualitative inquiry.† 23 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Problem-Based Learning. 04 March 2003. Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. 05 Feb. 2005. . Uyeda, Steve, et al. â€Å"Solving Authentic Science Problems: Problem based learning connects science to the world beyond school.† Science Teacher. 69.1 (Jan. 2002): 24-29.

Juicy Fruit Investigation :: Papers

Juicy Fruit Investigation Aim: To find out if temperature affects the amount of juice the enzyme pectinase releases from an apple. Prediction ========== I predict that the temperature the pectinase will work best in is 30Â ° - 40Â °, I think this will be the temperature the pectinase will be able to break down the most fruit into fruit juice. I do not believe the enzyme will work above 45Â ° as it would become denatured. This is because I know most enzymes (similar to proteins) stop working/get destroyed above this temperature, as they are made up of protein. I also know that the temperature enzymes work best in the body at body temperature; 37Â ° therefore I believe the higher the temperature is without going over 45Â ° the faster the molecules will move and hit the enzyme molecules. An enzyme works when a substrate molecule bumps into a molecule of the correct enzyme, they fit together into a depression on the surface of the enzyme molecule. When this movement takes place the depression is called an 'active site'. A reaction takes place and the substrate products are released separately. Because the substrate molecules are different shapes they will only fit into certain enzymes. When the enzyme reaches a temperature too high it will change shape, therefore the substrate molecule would not fit. When the enzyme reaches a temperature that is low (or lower than 37Â º) the molecules will not move as fast as they will have less energy. This therefore means the enzyme molecules will not hit the substrate molecules as often as they would in a higher temperature meaning less juice will be released. [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Enzyme molecule [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Active site [IMAGE] Substrate fits into active site Active site [IMAGE] [IMAGE] A reaction takes place [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Products leave the active site separately Preliminary test:

The Impact of Mass Media

President Abraham Lincoln delivered his infamous Gettysburg address dedicating the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg on November 19th, 1863. It was estimated 10,000 people attended the ceremony to observe the speech live and it was days before the message was read about in print. President Barrack Obama delivered his live State of the Union Address last January to an estimated 30 million television viewers at home while another 1. 3 million watched it online and it was only minutes after the speech was done that people were able to read about it in print.Mass media is printed and electronic means of communication that carry messages to widespread audiences. In the 21st Century United States, mass media products range from traditional newspapers and magazines, to radio, television, and internet. The internet has brought a whole new era of instant information to the media utilizing online social networks and live news outlets. In 150 years this Nation has gone from actually bein g on site to view something live to the ability to watch events live from the comfort of our own home. Where will we be in another 150 years?Although instant media is most times unfiltered, mass media has grown because of advanced technological means offering instant global reach while greatly influencing social changes. The Functionalism of Mass Media The functionalist perspective emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain stability (Schaefer, 2009). So what is the purpose of the media? Mass media plays important roles in our everyday life. In addition to providing entertainment, news, and education, media products are also used to socialize and market.As a daily routine, many people today make use of mass media tools for various reasons such as socializing, gathering data, sharing information, and even escape. Television is a source of media that has a strong effect on society today. It is important to look at the influence of television because an average American who subscribe to cable TV watches over eight hours of television a day (Guillen, 2005). The medium of film is particularly suited to representing multiple perspectives through its ability to convey subjective experience.Film is also a medium with rich resources for conveying the sights, sounds, rhythms, and auras of a particular space and time, or what is called â€Å"chronoscopes†Ã¢â‚¬â€that is, â€Å"time-space articulations, characteristic of particular, historically determined conceptions of the relations between the human, the social and the natural world†. Further, the film medium is also well equipped to represent the multiscape complexity of globalization with its flows and disjuncture’s (Manning, et al. , 2010) The media increases social cohesion by presenting a common, more or less standardized, view of culture through mass communication (Schaefer, 2009).I believe we could all agree mass media provides valuable information which ea ch individual uses for work or personal reasons. For example, many folks will watch the news on television or seek information via the internet daily to stay abreast of current events. As this paper is being written, a devastating earthquake and Tsunami recently struck Japan and now the country is trying to avert nuclear disaster. There is risk of nuclear power plants exploding and on the verge of meltdown. This in no way compares to the 9/11 attacks, but as fellow humans we are genuinely concerned for the well being of our neighbors to the Far East.Significant sporting events or sports entertainment such as the Olympics or the Superbowl are media tools used as a reason for people to gather and socialize with family and friends. The advertising moguls know this and also use these mass media events to market their products to millions of consumers. With the explosion of the internet and its global instant reach, new virtual societies have formed using websites such Skype, Twitter, an d Facebook. These online tools are communities of people from all over the world meeting, make new friends, or catching up with old friends and family too in a web based portal.More and more people are beginning to live in a virtual reality world. While the privacy of these communities is often times criticized, the benefits of such media greatly increases social interaction. This theory also relays the message that the media is an enforcer of social norms (Schaefer, 2009). The mass media broadcasts information and television shows which reinforce social norms by pointing out the events that violate mores and folkways such as crimes and substance abuse. By doing this and not glorifying criminal behavior, the mass media can publicly emphasize the proper behaviors or formal norms to countless people.The Conflict with Mass Media Conflict theorists view the mass media as a means to reinforce divisions within a society which differs from the functionalist theory that mass media is used a s a tool for social cohesion. Functionalist and conflict theorists would agree the mass media provides information, entertainment, and social outlets but where it differs is how much is provided and who decides what is transmitted (Schaefer, 2009). Gatekeeping is the process where material passes through a series of checkpoints before it reaches the audience.The media industry is funded by major businesses whose interests are the desire to maximize profits (Schaefer, 2009) and are shaped by these businesses’ agendas as well as the desires of the small group of individuals who control what eventually reaches the viewers. The community and the filmmakers have different expectations regarding content and control (Coffman, 2009) too. Quite often, the media is structured in such a way that certain minority interests or groups are simply neglected or used as stereotypes in television. The news inaccurately covers its communities by having most of its stories about violence.A Univer sity of Miami study of local television news found that the time devoted to crime varied between 23 to 50 percent even though violent crime in the city remained constant, involving less than one tenth of one percent of the population (Guillen, 2005). Often times one can watch the local evening news and hear more stories of violence in other parts of the Nation as well as other countries over good human interest stories in their local community. Technological advances of mass media products and communications offers many the opportunities for instant information, but not everyone gets to enjoy this though.There is a digital divide within the U. S. and especially global when compared to the U. S. How big is the â€Å"global digital divide†? Less than 10 percent of the world’s population uses the Internet. Statistics compiled by the International Telecommunication Union as of the end of 2002 indicate that Internet use as a proportion of the population ranges from less tha n one percent in many underdeveloped African, Central American, and South Asian countries to between 50 and 60 percent in Iceland, the United States, Scandinavia, Singapore or South Korea (Guillen, 2005).Because of these statistics, Americans are at risk of ethnocentrism if we don’t take this into account when associating with developing nations. Another area where Americas are at risk of being ethnocentric is when we overstress U. S. dominance (Schaefer, 2009) in the mass media. The Interactionism of Mass Media Interactionists generalize about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole. Our social behavior is conditioned by the roles and statuses we accept, the groups to which we belong, and the institution we belong to (Schaefer, 2009).This theory is similar to the other theories in that the media is a major source of daily activity. It is very similar to the funtionalist perspective in that it supports face to face interactions within socie ty. This theory differs with the conflict theory where the interactionist looks for shared understandings; conflict theorists emphasize the differences of opinion or the struggle and the divisions within a society. Advances in technology probably play the biggest role within the Interactionism theory. The rise of the internet has facilitated new forms of communication and social interaction (Schaefer, 2009).One the internet alone, there are sites like Facebook that have gone global that fully supports social interaction. Another site like YouTube is another area where anyone can post a video of just about anything. The danger of the above mentioned sites is there is little control to what is put onto these sites. Children who are exploring the net or have little to no parental supervision could end up seeing much more than what a social norm would expect. The internet is the exception to centralization and concentration on media.Interactionists see a change in the way people share m edia and how they get their news versus their interest in it. Why wait for the evening news or even for breaking news on CNN, when Yahoo and Google are at your fingertips? (Schaefer, 2009). The internet is readily available for the user and is also the only media outlet that allows the average person to get an audience of millions if a post, or most likely a video, goes viral. According to hyperdictionary. com, a viral video is a video clip that achieves widespread distribution through online sharing.Interactionists play close attention to the use of symbols (Schaefer, 2009). Political leaders and entertainment figures use the media to control their images as symbols through public appearances called photo opportunities or â€Å"photo ops. † The underlying approach to a photo op is to pose the candidate (or the actor) with symbols of appealing values, in the hope that viewers will equate the two. In beer commercials these values can include the friendship symbolized by a welc oming group of guys in a bar. For a political candidate, the values could include patriotism or people where there's a candidate speaking with a U.S. flag as the backdrop or with his family or citizens of the community. Some movies engage their audience with alternative products to market the premiere or to promote continual interest in the movie. For example, the Shrek series construct global audiences as â€Å"communities† of consumers who are able to participate in a film by purchasing the many products placed throughout or by playing the computer games and visiting the Web sites developed as part of the â€Å"multimarket commercial intertext† of a given film (Manning, et al. , 2010).The Mass Media Providers Viewpoint. Media moguls and Webmasters perspective on the functionalist view of mass media is that it is a business, a big business. Large sums of money are generated by advertising on television, websites, magazines, etc. While maximizing profits (Schaefer, 200 9) may be the foregoing reason for the mass media from the individuals who are a part of the institution, I believe there are other roles the media providers take on too. Because of the global instant reach of today’s media, activists or humanitarians use the tools to get messages out to the public quickly.Using the earlier example of the Tsunami that hit Japan, how fast did we see Red Cross commercials, texting 90999 to make an instant $10 donation to the relief effort? The conflict viewpoint from the media providers is that it is a tight competition for scarce resources and the old way of doing business is gone. Many local newspaper circulations have closed shop do to in your face current events television programs. Additionally, with so many providers on the market and the advent of pay television and radio, the marketing dollar is dwindling.For example, like many other consumers, I subscribe to XMSirius satellite radio because I loathe the promotion of consumption all the time. So, the satellite radio company is making the â€Å"advertising† dollar vice the media mogul. The interactionist view from the media providers is this perspective is the one that helps us understand one most important aspect of the mass media system – the audience (Schaefer, 2009). The media giants know they would be washed up without the consumer. The interactionists have ways to keep the audience involved in the programming.Some example of how the audience participate in the programming are the reality completion shows like American Idol, Survivor, Dances with the Stars, to name a few. Viewers have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player. The Mass Media and Social Change Social lives have changed tremendously with the introduction of mass media into lives. An example of how media coverage can be functional, contrasting, and interactive can be seen in the reporting of the protests surrounding the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.Catherine Luther and Ma rk Miller analyzed pro-war and anti-war coverage in eight US newspapers and showed how reporters were more likely to use illegitimate cues when referring to anti-war protestors, while using legitimate cues to refer to pro-war campaigners (Barker, 2008). Americans are either for or against the war and turn to the media for information. Differences of opinion are a valid way to gain insight into a society or cause. Lastly, the power of the media will generate interest to get people to come out and support. The View from the AudienceThe mass media are distinguished from other social institutions by the necessary presence of an audience (Schaefer 2009). Without an audience, media products would cease to exist. The functionalism perspective from the audience is most anything you want or need can be accessed, purchased, researched, and you can even merge types of media into one source. The conflict with today’s mass media is the unfiltered aspect meaning the freedom of press versus protecting our children from some of the bad things seen on the media outlets.Another conflict the audience has with mass media is members of an audience do not all interpret media in the same way. Often their response is influenced by their social characteristics such as occupation, race, education, and income (Schaefer, 2009). Interactionist view on social interaction in today’s media product offer more freedom of broadcasting and less freedom to censor. Conclusion The media has had a huge impact on society over the last two to three decades with the significant advances in technology.Although instant media is most times unfiltered, mass media has grown because of advanced technological means offering instant global reach while greatly influencing social changes. Viewers have instant news, entertainment, and socializing opportunities via many different types of media tools. From the functionalist view, and the interactionist, the mass media’s biggest change has come with the introduction of the internet. The contrast to the movement of socialization and instant information is the increased freedom of information that is shared throughout the media tools and the risk of unfiltered information to certain viewers.