Stress, Coping Communication Essay Example

Stress, Coping Communication Essay Man is a social animal living in a human culture. In this culture, he has to maintain his social and internal homeostasis in continuous communication with his fellowmen and, especially with key figures in social sub groups to which he belongs. Every society and every social sub group has its own psychosocial stressors that consist of behavior patterns of its members, which require more than the usual cognitive, appraisal, anticipation and adaptive behavior. Successful coping with these stressors leads to gratification, failure to cope leads to frustration. While categorizing stress, good stress or eustress provides stimulation and challenges, and is essential to development, growth and change. Bad stress or distress prompts psychological and physiological changes of an undesirable nature.Some people, however, can withstand, more stress than others. Dr. Hans Selye, founder of modern studies on Stress, revealed that as the stress starts taking its toll there are three very evident stag es through which the person goes through. These phases are: The Alarm, the Resistance, and the Exhaustion phase. The Alarm Phase: The Alarm phase is characterized by the triggering on the Stress Alert System (the fight or flight response). There is thus an over activity of the sympathetic nervous system, and the simultaneous inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system. Alarm is generated in the body and the whole bodies starts preparing for a fight or take a flight. There is a flush of energy, and all activities are speeded up. The pressure is evident and could be seen in his excitement or fear. Adrenaline and cortical increase, blood flows away from brain to muscles, dendrites shrink back in the brain as a way of moderating the flow of information, slowing or shutting down of nonessential body functions (e.g. gastrointestinal and sexual systems)  takes place. The Resistance Phase: There are adaptive efforts by the body to cope with or resolve stressor.Because of the continui ty of the stressful conditions there is depletion of energy, the person feels run down. As the pressure mounts he struggles to meet the various demands expected of him. He starts getting bouts of irritation, there is over-reaction to minor issues, sleep pattern starts getting altered and he starts getting weaker both mentally physically. Others observe very clear physical, psychological and behavioral changes. The Exhaustion Phase: When the stressful condition prolongs, and even after observing distinct symptoms of resistance phase, appropriate measures are not resorted to, then the Exhaustion phase takes over. The person feels fully exhausted tired. This may go even to the extent of absence of all enthusiasm to work or even to live. Psychosomatic diseases take roots.There is emotional breakdown, insomnia, heart BP complications, and host of other very painful symptoms associated with burnout. If stress persists reserves of energy are used. Self-medication and self-comforting co ping skills are utilized.   In an advance stage Energy reserves are depleted. Body systems begin to malfunction and there is a much greater susceptibility to serious illnesses.   Normal process in which the stomach lining constantly replenishes itself to counteract digestive fluids is put on hold. A good example of this comes from management staff of companies. An executive of middle grade in multinational company is not naturally stress resistant or don’t have learned how to handle the pressure without letting it. He shows stress symptoms, like ulcers, high blood pressure, tension, burnout and so on due to great work pressures.There is no single symptom that can identify stress. Physical symptoms occur as your body adapts to perceived physical threat, and are caused by release of adrenaline. Although client may perceive these as unpleasant and negative, they are signs that his body is ready for the explosive action that assists survival or high performance: Dry Mouth, C ool skin, Cold hands and feet Increased sweating, rapid breathing, Faster heart beat, tense muscles, feelings of nausea, or Butterflies in stomach diarrhea a desire to urinate. Long-term physical symptoms occur where client’s body has been exposed to adrenaline over a long period. These symptoms are: Insomnia, change in appetite, sexual disorders, aches and pains, frequent colds, illnesses such as: asthma, low back pain, digestive problems, headaches, feelings of intense and long-term tiredness, Muscle tension, Pains in chest, Muscle spasms or nervous tics, Unexplained rashes or skin irritations Shortness of breath, Sweaty palms.Psychosomatic illnesses are disorders that are rooted in psychological disturbance and distress in day-to-day life, vis-à  -vis personal, family or work. Psychosomatic or Somatoform disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders found in general practice. It is a condition of dysfunction or structural damage in bodily organs through inappr opriate activation of the involuntary nervous system and the glands of internal secretion. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as stress. The commonest form of the psychosomatic illness is gastric ulcers, which can be traced to stress. Hyperactivity, constipation, indigestion or even irritable bowel syndrome most of the time has roots in mental distress. Psychosomatic illness can take any form — even something seemingly unrelated as skin irritation, dermatitis of scalp or even finger infection. ‘‘High adrenaline can spoil your kidneys as well. According to the DSM II classification, psycho-physiologic disorder are Skin disorders, Muscle skeletal disorders, Respiratory disorders, Cardiovascular disorders, Genitourinary disorders, Endocrine disorders, Disorders of organ of special sense Chronic conjunctivitis, Disorder of other types Disturbances in the nervous system in which emotional factors play a significant role, such as multiple sclerosis. Sometimes a physical symptom is a metaphor for the persons psychological problem, as when a person with a broken heart experiences chest pain. Other times, a physical symptom reflects identification with another persons pain.Coping strategies refer to the specific efforts, both behavioral and psychological, that people employ to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize stressful events. Coping strategies are employed in a variety of threatening situations. Healthy Ways of Coping with Stress  are- find a quite place and go there, frequently if needed, Write in a Journal, Go for a long walk or run. Notice how your body is feeling, you’re breathing, how your legs are moving. Enjoy being out in nature.  Ã‚  . Laugh uproariously at least once a day. Talk to someonea friend, family member, counselor, or clergy member, even a pet or stuffed animal.General coping strategies have been distinguished as: Appraisal focus strategy approach t o coping is based on a mental process of how the individual appraises the situation. Where the level of appraisal determines the level of stress and the unique coping strategies that the individual partakes. (Lazarus Folkman, 1984). An appraisal is made when the individual makes a conscious evaluation of the matter at hand. The individual asks him/herself What can I do? by evaluating the coping resources around him/her. These resources include, physical resources, such as how healthy one is, or how much energy one has, social resources. There are many ways of to approach coping from a cognitive perspective such as that of constructive and destructive thinking as conceptualized by Epstein and Meier (1989) a similar concept to that of optimistic versus pessimistic (Taylor, 1991). All of us seem to have plenty of should. eg. I should always be nice, I should always be polite, etc., which are the product of our upbringing as well as expectations of ourselves and other people. Discover what your should are and determine if they are realistic or necessary Learn to think differently about things think how a friend with a sense of humor would look at it.Problem-focus strategy is an effort to do something active to alleviate stressful circumstances. Using problem solving approach, the problem solver proceeds through basic steps: Define the problem: Whats wrong? Implement the solution: Fix it! Evaluate the fix: Did it work? In solving problems, person tries to transform a given situation to a desired one, Seeking social support, enhancing time management, improving self-control and become more assertive. For example, people typically employ problem-focused coping to deal with potential controllable problems such as work-related problems and family-related problems. Theres a myriad of different relaxation techniques that can be used to combat stress. The common threads that run through them are that they calm and improve the breathing, relax the muscles, and clear the mind; time management is about setting goals carefully, and then arranging work into high and low priority, depending on how it relates to those goals. We must be ruthless, ensuring that we plan how we can meet the deadlines in our important work as well as work on long-term goals. You have to recognize the symptoms of stress. Next, you have to believe that your thinking can both block and promote your ability to cope.Coping strategies involve restructuring your thoughts Emotion-focused coping strategies involve efforts to regulate the emotional consequences of stressful or potentially stressful events. Major components of successful emotional coping are awareness of the situations that trigger stress; recognition of developing stress; availability/access to and use of coping strategies. For example, a successful adult with learning disabilities in our study manages her anxiety attacks by recognizing that reading aloud in a group triggers anxiety, physical symptoms such as rapid bre athing are signs of stress, and slow deep breathing reduces her anxiety. The client must use techniques like meditation, using systematic relaxation procedures. For example, stressors perceived as less controllable, such as certain kinds of physical health problems, prompt more emotion-focused coping. Research indicates that people use these types of strategies to combat most stressful events (Folkman Lazarus, 1980).   .Aspects of communication (Verbal Non-Verbal)Communication consists of signals made by one organism that have meaning for other organisms and affect their behavior. Research indicates more communication occurs from body language and the tone of a persons voice than from what is said. Linguists refer to auxiliary communication devices as paralanguage. Communication with people from other societies or ethnic groups is fraught with the danger of misunderstanding if their culture and paralanguage is unknown to you or ignored. The impact of culture-sameness, gender, fo reign travel, and academic background on the ability to interpret facial expression of emotion in others are observed in communication. Verbal communication requires the use of words, vocabulary, numbers and symbols and is organized in sentences using language. Mastering linguistic skill is not reserved for the selected few but is a skill that each and every one should develop to improve relationships and interactions. Everyone’s brain is forever having thoughts and they are primarily with words. Words spoken, listened to or written affect your life as well as others. They have the power to create emotions and move people to take action. When verbal communication is delivered accurately and clearly, you activate the mind and encourage creativity. People can establish leadership and credibility through nonverbal communication skills and environmental factors.A cue is a type of communication used by an adult to let a child know what is expected of him/her in a given situation. Cues are a type of receptive communication. Touch cues are ways an adult can touch a child to communicate a desired action. A sensory cues is some sensory input used to help a child anticipate an event: For example, a smell of lotion before it is applied to the childs arm or the sound of water splashing before placing the child in the bathtub. Object cues are some concrete piece of a routine that is used to represent that routine. Signals are movements the child uses to communicate needs, desires and feelings to adults. Signals are a form of expressive communication. Symbols are representations of an event, action, object, person, or place that can be used to communicate about the event, action, object, person, or place. Symbols can be used for both receptive and expressive communication.The first habit of good listening is to pay attention to the person who is speaking. Good listening includes acting in a way that is considerate of the other person. As a part of listening, you shou ld seek to help the person feel good about them. You must also be aware of cultural differences. Body postures, eye contact, distance between people, may all mean different things to people from different cultures. Listen for the persons entire meaning rather than to simply understand content. Pay full attention to nonverbal cues and the tone of the persons voice. To deepen your individual and the groups understanding of a persons message, consider reflecting back to the member without judging or evaluating. The important factors constitutes for effective speaking are Your audience is there to hear your message, relax and deliver that message, instead of focusing on yourself, make sure that your speech is right for your audience. Set good examples and encourage the young people to take responsibility for their future, be natural and animated. Use hand gestures, drink water, and move around a little, make eye contact with the audience, Practice your speech ahead of time.

Looking At Child Abuse In Different Communities Social Work Essays

Looking At Child Abuse In Different Communities Social Work Essays Looking At Child Abuse In Different Communities Social Work Essay Looking At Child Abuse In Different Communities Social Work Essay Child maltreatment is an international traumatic issue. The injury of being abused physically, mentally, emotionally, or sexually as a kid can consequence an person for his or her hereafters. The effects of maltreatment are frequently extended in the mental, physical, and societal nature. Suicide, force, delinquency, drug and intoxicant maltreatment, and other signifiers of criminalism are besides child maltreatment related. Therefore, many states have set up a scheme to battle the issue. Community instruction is one of the kid maltreatment bar schemes to authorise persons including kids, communities and households to better protect kids from maltreatment and development ( Child wise 2009 ) . This paper will critically measure and analyze the kid maltreatment community instruction scheme in theory and pattern which was created by Child Wise, Australia s prima international kid protection charity working across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. It will concentrate on a community in the Northern Territory of Australia and the mark groups of the scheme are kids and households in the Tiwi Island community. However, the kid maltreatment issue is found all over the universe and the community instruction scheme which will be mentioned in this paper can certainly be applied to utilize as a basic pattern to every community in the universe where needed. The writer believes that the apprehension of community instruction scheme will pave a manner for farther betterment in pattern and finally better protection of kids from maltreatment. Understanding of the scheme s theoretical foundation Harmonizing to Tomison and Wise ( 1999 ) , there are three theories that underpin the development of a holistic scheme to child maltreatment bar. First, ecological theory of child maltreatment causing, the rule of this scheme s theory is the interaction of hazard factors and protection. Thus, kids, households and communities need to understand that the possibility of kid maltreatment consequences from the combination and interaction of complex groups of factors ( National Research Council 1993 ) . Second, the acknowledgment of cardinal hazard and protective factors that influence kids, households and communities exposure to child ill-treatment. Resilience appears to be an of import protective factor which contributes to adaptive results ( Garmezy, 1993 ) . The three types of resiliency can each be of import in get the better ofing the odds, where positive results are achieved although hazard position is high, sustained competency under emphasis and kids display an ability to get by good and speedy recovery from injury, where kids function good after sing terrible injury ( Kirby A ; Fraser 1997 ) . Third, Winter ( 1999 ) points out that the acknowledgment of the importance of the local community can forestall child maltreatment by puting norms of appropriate rearing behavior, back uping parents who are under emphasis. Equally good as kids and immature people are taught norms and countenances sing acceptable societal behavior and are positively affected by the community s outlooks for kids. This is the rhythm of positive support and enhanced community life where persons and the wider societal group gain the wagess. The nexus between theories and patterns Child Wise adopted the theories of the kid maltreatment community instruction scheme to work in the Northern Territory communities. Over the past twelvemonth Child Wise facilitated a community instruction plan in the Tiwi Islands called Tayamangamiya which means regard yourself, your organic structure is sacred. The participants are all groups of people in communities ; kids, households, leader of community and working people in community. They designed a logo, T-shirts and a bag against kid maltreatment to advance this message on the island, and in peculiar to immature people about whom concerns were raised sing their exposure to sexual development every bit good as engagement in seminars which educate them about kid maltreatment. In relation to the above theoretical foundations, this plan was done by carry oning seminar and run, the plan directed at guaranting that people in communities learn more about kid maltreatment, are able to recognize cardinal hazard and protective factors of maltreatment, cognize how to react and speak to kids if they have concerns and help them to recognize that a strong community can protect kids from maltreatment ( Child wise 2009 ) . The scheme effectivity The scheme offers a scope of resources, and are complete bundles tailored to the demands of kid maltreatment bar ( Darlington et al, 2005, p.246 ) and it is most effectual when the instruction workers set up a trusting and empathic relationship with people in communities. In add-on, they assist communities to understand about the causes and effects of kid maltreatment, to construct and keep support services to child maltreatment bar and supply accomplishments of resiliency preparation ( Berry et al, 2003, p.19 ) . Another grounds of the scheme effectivity is that it focuses on persons, households and communities strengths and resiliency alternatively of their failings, reinforces bing protective factors to forestall the happening or reoccurrence of kid maltreatment. This is cardinal method to advance the developmental life accomplishments of all participants ( Centre for the Study of Social Policy, 2003, cited in FRIENDS, 2008 ) . However, this scheme would be more effectual if it combined with a scheme that specifically targets parents, such as place visiting or parent instruction plans ( Flannery et al, 2008, p.3 ) and plans that present chances for parental equal support have a positive impact on kids s cognitive results ( Layzer et al, 2001, cited in FRIENDS, 2008 ) . Ability to convey about alteration As stated at the beginning that the end of a kid maltreatment community instruction scheme is the better protection against kid maltreatment and development. It can be implied that the scheme conveying approximately better societal alteration both cognitive and active. First, people s cognition of kid maltreatment and consciousness of its incidence is increased. Second, people speak more respectfully to kids and to utilize non-physical agencies of training kids. Third, people value kids and esteem their rights and unity and protection from injury. Strategy s strengths Harmonizing to Holzer et Al ( 2006 ) , the most successful of schemes are comprised of a combination of kids, households and communities instruction schemes. The combination of intercessions of plans that included kids accomplishments preparation, perceptive retraining, kid development information, and good based services, are by and large more effectual than plans that merely concentrate on bettering kids content cognition. The purpose of scheme is strength every bit good that is to farther enhance kids, households and communities strengths and their application to all kid attention. The acceptance of the scheme in kid protection can take to a broader development in societal public assistance instead than an sole focal point on hazards and shortages ( DePanfilis A ; Wilson, 1996 cited in ) . DePanfilis and Wilson ( 1996 ) cited in Holzer et Al ( 2006 ) reference that in a figure of diverse contexts, a strengths-based position is preferred manner of pattern than others. This can be said that community instruction plans that adopted a strengths-based attack are more effectual than plans that conduct from a shortage position. A failing that may necessitate to be considered As a consequence of this integrating of community instruction scheme, many policy shapers and service suppliers seem to be satisfied about the advantages of these schemes. However, it is of import to maintain in head that the clear aim of many community plans is to construct an apprehension of kid maltreatment job and enhance kid protection instead than to cut down the prevalence of child ill-treatment ( Holzer et al, 2006 ) . It is extremely possible that in heightening kid protection, community instruction plans will cut down the prevalence of child ill-treatment. However, the schemes adopted do non peculiarly concentrate on the decrease of child ill-treatment. Therefore, this failing should be exercised when trying to deduce from the present findings to direct results refering the bar and decrease of kid ill-treatment, as this result can non be explicitly assumed. Appropriateness of scheme The community instruction scheme in this paper has two grounds for the rightness. First, cognition that is used to educate community is specific for protection in the kid abuse issue based on societal justness and human rights model related to kids. The theory building is believed to underpin the development of kids protection ( Matthew et al, 2003 ) . Second, the usage of an effectual community scheme which is associated with community credence is socially hearty and it is culturally appropriate. Furthermore, the scheme is widely accessible in the community. It is of import that barriers to accessing community instruction plans are reduced. Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and households who are socially and economically disadvantaged are likely to mention themselves for this instruction. The Use of the cyberspace, CD-Rom based applications and media intercessions do non calculate big in this scheme, as all have the possible to increase the range of in tercessions to hard-to-access groups ( Matthew et al, 2003 ) . However, the cogency of the scheme would be greatly strengthened and more appropriate if betterments in kid operation were shown to be straight related to lessenings in dysfunctional parenting and additions in competent parenting variables specified by the scheme. As there is considerable grounds that learning parents positive parenting and consistent disciplinary accomplishments consequences in important betterments in kids s behavior, less coercive parenting, betterments in rearing satisfaction and efficaciousness, reduced parental depression and emphasis and lower degree of matrimonial struggle, peculiarly in parents with immature. Consideration to societal justness It is general that to turn to the household force and kid maltreatment issue, it requires concerted and supportive action between the province and district and federal degrees of authorities. It is duty for these sectors to do up the vital services, such as policing, justness and kid protection. Harmonizing to the Australia National Framework ( 2004 ) , it set up bar of kid maltreatment and household force as a national precedence which is based on the rules of ; foremost, safety where everyone has the right to be safe from household force and maltreatment. Second, partnerships where forestalling household force and kid maltreatment in households is best achieved by households, communities, community administrations and different degrees of authorities working together as spouses. Third, support where forestalling household force and kid maltreatment relies on strong leading from authoritiess and community leaders and sustainable resourcing. It is besides of import to see the strong and resilient households to forestall household force and kid maltreatment in the community as households enable people to take control of their lives, regain duty for their households and communities and to heighten single and household well-being and turn toing the cause. Successful schemes should be to forestall household force and kid maltreatment in the community by turn toing the causes of force and maltreatment, including intoxicant and drug maltreatment, generational disadvantage, poorness and unemployment. Consideration to human rights model To turn to kid abuse issue, it is necessary to see of human rights model as it is cardinal for kids to populate free from fright and force within the domestic circle ( Wilson, 2009 ) . Family or intimate maltreatment seems by and large regarded as a private matter, while human rights are deemed to be public issues. However, it is undeniable that intimate force opposes with legion human rights rules ( Levesque, 2001 ) . However, it is strongly evident that every individual civilization respects for the household s right to privateness, as a consequence, it is hard that the subject of the human rights of victims would take it up for public treatment. This absence can show the injury suffered by subsisters of intimate force. This injury has everything in common with the injury suffered in wars, businesss, civil perturbations, province anguish and maltreatment. Harmonizing to Wilson ( 2009 ) , article 19 of the Conventions of the Rights of the Child ( 1989 ) specifically deals with maltreatments perpetrated on kids by non-state histrions. In this Convention, the United Nations has recognised that household force is human rights maltreatment. It is good known that kid maltreatment causes long term and whole of life effects for subsisters and the particular to adult females are besides vulnerable to human rights maltreatment under assorted UN Conventions, to which many states are signatory including Australia. The human rights maltreatment of the kid can go on negative effects throughout the whole of a subsister s life. It is clip to take a firm stand on the legitimate topographic point in the human rights linguistic communication and civilization. Decision The kid maltreatment community instruction scheme that have mentioned underpins the development of kids protection from maltreatment in many communities in the Northern Territory in Australia. However, there are some failing that can be improved to acquire a better consequence of kid maltreatment protection and decrease. Hopefully, the analysis and rating mentioned in this paper would finally do positive development for the farther utilizing of this community instruction scheme based on societal justness and human rights model. The writer believes that human rights maltreatment is portion of our challenge to society s silencing of us.

Autonomy and Terminal Illness Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Autonomy and Terminal Illness - Case Study Example Sally is described as terminally ill with metastasis in other vital organs by her oncologist and confirmed by her attending physician as a poor candidate for the continuance of chemotherapy treatment. As a patient, Sally has the right to be informed on all the treatment that she is supposed to receive and so with her family members. However, since she is in denial of her condition and in panic of her impending death, the physician has the autonomy to decide to write the Do not resuscitate order. In this scenario, the involvement of the patient in decision making is not that important since she will be less concern on the adverse effects of resuscitation on her health. Equally important to consider is the wish of the patient to be treated the way she likes. Treating the patient as she wishes is within the scope of professional code of the doctors. It is their responsibility to deliver quality care to their patients and treat them the way their patients like it to be. However, this seems not applicable in Sally’s condition because it is not consistent with the physician’s AMA code of ethics which dictates they have the obligation to modify management goal to palliative form if other treatments is in effective ( McCabe, 2008). This is further supported by the statement of Dr. Reith Rose, Sunnybrook executive vice president in her written statement that when clinical teams determine that further interventions would have no benefit to the patient, health care providers are not obliged to provide intervention that lie outside the standard care which indeed may well cause harm ( Smith, 2010). Although, the medical goal of the physician is to prolong life, the Do not resuscitate (DNR) order should be applied to Sally even after taking into consideration its ethical theories, patient’s right, and professional code of doctors because it is the lesser evil. Resuscitating Sally is deemed medically

Assistive Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assistive Technology - Essay Example The chemical's usual routes of entry in the body is through the eyes, inhalation and skin contact. It is not advisable for consumers and workers to apply flame or heat products containing the aforementioned chemicals; instead, pressurized extinguishers must be stored away from high heat sources, poorly ventilated rooms and out of direct sunlight. If based on the arguments presented by DuPont (2008; p 1), stating that the total flooding is applied in fire suppression when other people are present during the application; aside from the fact that the application is generally, free of residues, non-corrosive, non-electrically conductive and has ozone depleting potential, the action involves greater than 90% of all commercial security or protection scenarios. Meanwhile, the system of local application is also a total flooding system, but, there is no complete enclosures surrounding applied, fire extinguishing concentration should be applied into the area as quickly as possible; otherwise will expose people to hazards longer. Therefore, local application seems more of a personnel hazard than total flooding.

Hot-Button Issue Paper Essay Example for Free

Hot-Button Issue Paper Essay Nowadays one of most concerning topic in today’s media is sex and violence. Determining what’s â€Å"too much† for children is not an easy task, because every parent has their personal preferences about such matters. But determining the actual effects of media violence on children gives rise a problem in itself, as it’s quite tricky to actually determine what â€Å"violent media† means to the children (Cutler, 2002). There were many children friendly shows back in the days, shows that taught some useful lessons to the children in a non-violent manner. Shows like Ducktales or Darkwing Duck are examples of such shows that children not only could enjoy, but also learn some valuable lessons from. Even vintage video games like Super Mario was just a fun seeking game that children could enjoy and parents didn’t have to worry about their effects on their children too. But if we look at the TV shows, movies and games in the present, it’s quite obvious that the use of excessive violence has crawled its’ way into almost every form of media. Another problem is the increase of usage of sexual acts in the media. There are open discussions of sex and enactments of sexual activities in almost all the TV shows and movies. In the past, TV shows mostly showed two persons getting into bed and the next scene took us to the next day. There were no enactments of sexual activities in the shows. But today, almost every show on every premium channels show fully nude persons or even the acts of having sex. The media industries have been strongly resisting such arguments that the usage of scenes containing sex, violence, and drug usage in TV, music, radio and movies is directly related to the increasing cases of negative behavior buildups in the society, (Anderson, 2002). Canceling such shows is the only way to get rid of sex from the TV. But doing so creates the possibility that children will grow up without the knowledge of sex. They might grow up and have to face the big bad world without anyone to properly guide them into making the right decisions. So it’s essential for them to learn the correct decisions at an early age, so  that they don’t make any decision that could destroy their life forever. You might be able to control the TV shows on their usage of sex and violence; but what about other for ms of media such as magazines, internet, books, music, and movies? Nowadays media has an array of methods to attract peoples’ eyes. They can target audiences of any age or group by tempting their senses. Teenagers are often attracted by violent acts, and by using this they can easily influence them. It doesn’t matter if it’s TV or the movies or the internet, violence is everywhere and trying to shut down all of them is simply not possible. Imagine yourself in a scenario where you’re changing through channels on the TV and you can’t find any shows with violence, shooting or sexual scenes. What would you do in that case, keep on watching the TV or turn it off and do something else? Doing the later would cause the viewer ratings of TV networks to go down and thus giving them the impression that they need to show more violence and sexual acts to attract the audiences. There’s no point in denying that sex and violence attract people or â€Å"sell†, so to say. Although almost 60-70 persons out of 100 say that there’s excess use of sex and violence on TV, they have to firstly watch such usage to find that out. Imagine a show that you watch on a regular basis, and you’d realize by yourself that sex and violence sell. Not a single person can be found who hasn’t seen or doesn’t know of a show that uses violence or sexual references, at the very least. Just as a children mig ht want to smoke if they see their parents smoke, they also might have the inclination towards committing crime if they see their favorite TV character commit a crime. Recently several methods have been developed to control or even block specific shows at specific times. A parental control, that gives the parents the power to block certain TV shows, is offered by every cable provider. But still, it’s the parent that must decide whether to block or not. The V-chip is a recent controlling method developed to restrict sex and violence scenes from being showed on the TV and it’s done by incorporating a small chip in the TV. But to some extent, this seems to be violating the first amendment. What someone wants to watch on their TV is their personal choice; why should they be restrained from watching something they want? It’s understandable that children shouldn’t be exposed to such shows that negatively impact their sense of judgment, but what about someone who’s an adult and willing to watch those shows? Whether you allow play in  shows containing sex and violence in your household premises is a decision that you should make, not the government. If there are children in the house, the parents should be responsible for keeping them away from shows that contain sex or violence. Another point is that most of these shows are aired at nighttime, and it’s safe to assume that children should be in the bed by that time. If kids are staying up at nights to see such shows, it’s not the networks’ fault that they are airing these shows, but it’s the parents’ fault that they can’t fulfill their responsibilities as a parent. On average, a child in the USA watches almost 28 hours of TV shows per week. Also, by the age of eleven, before finishing elementary school, a child views about 8000 murders on these TV shows. And the most terrifying fact is that in almost 75% of the cases shown in the TV, the criminal is shown to get away without being caught and feeling no remorse for their violent acts. This creates a false impression on children about violence. They often get an impractical idea about the acts of violence. Some of them feel no affect of violence whatsoever and even think that it’s cool, while other few become scared of everything around them. In 2009, the National Organization of Women reported that the most violent shows that were being aired were- Alias of ABC, Law Order: SVU of NBC and WWE: Smackdown of CW (NOW, 2009). When children watch TV shows that show someone committing a crime and getting away with it, it creates an impression on their mind that even they can get away without suffering the consequences of their actions. It’s also possible to link violent movies to several cases of assault, robbery and other anti social behaviors. People, particularly teenagers, often confuse things they watch on TV or movies with reality. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, are a perfect example of such delusional cases. They tried to dup licate scenes from the movies The Matrix and Basketball Diaries and even dressed up in trench coats and armed themselves with guns to depict those scenes. But just watching violence on TV and movies is not the entire story, there are several other factors that shape the thoughts of persons. Information obtained from several social research studies prove that what a child learns from what he/she watches is greatly affected by his/her surrounding environment (Anderson, 2002). For instance, if a child grows up seeing domestic violence in his/her household, he/she is more likely to think that these acts of violence is acceptable in the society. He/she would  be more prone to act according to what he/she saw when growing up, thus giving him/her a completely false sense of what’s acceptable and what’s not. To those who are mentally handicapped, these effects are much more severe. Since they often have problems differentiating what’s right and what’s wrong, exposure to these sexual acts and violence change the way they think about the world and often clouds their judgments. Watching people commit crimes in the media might give them the impression that it’s okay to do such acts. In one of her studies, Sue Bailey declared that people would of ten enact scenes they saw in the media, even if those scenes were to contain violence or sexual exploitation (Anderson, 2002). This is in fact the main reason why we see so many copycat criminals nowadays. This reminds us of the Banduras theory of modeling (Sparks, 2013). Children often idolize these TV and movie characters and watching their idols beat someone, sell drugs, and committing crimes makes them want to do the same. The act of violence and their rate varies in every society, but what’s alarming is that the USA has a horrifying rate of killings and suicides in the 15 year age group. In 1995, the combined death toll of children among 26 countries was at 2872. Out of these 2872 deaths, 1446 were in the USA alone and compared with the other 25 countries; this rate was almost 5 times higher. A child’s personality also plays an important role in their vulnerability to these violent acts. From an early age, some children might have the tendency to be temperamental. Watching violent acts in the media might increase their tendency to act violently. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to acts of violence increases their chance to act according to what they see in the media. Showing sexual acts and violence in TV can, in many ways, negatively impact the society. But the most argued point is the belief that a persons’ behavior is affected by what they watch. But this seems likely only if someone was to watch only these type of shows at all times. Watching such acts on TV or movies once or twice is not going to affect someone’s personality or turn them into violent sexual offenders. Moreover, the choices someone make is their and theirs’ only to make. No one else can be blamed for their personal faults. To conclude all this discussion, today’s TV can’t be compared with the TV from 30 years ago. Today’s shows cover a more wide range of topics, represent different cultures and languages and they’re targeted for every age group. The increase in sexual scenes and acts  of violence in the media reflects the change our society has undergone in the past years. This change can’t be denied and sooner or later society has to accept that these shows are a part of this change. So rather than demanding to stop this change, it’s practical to demand that these shows should be aired at a certain t ime, thus enabling the viewers to choose what they see and what they allow their children to see. References Anderson, C. A. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2000-2004/02BApspb.pdf Bandura, A. (2006). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html Cutler, Maggie: Research on the Effects of Media Violence on Children Is Inconclusive. Is Media Violence a Problem? James D. Torr, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press 2002 National Organization of Women. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.now.org/organization/conference/resolutions/2009.html Sparks, G. G. (2013). Media Effects Research (14th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook.

Free Essays: Comparing Characters and Themes in Hamlet and Macbeth :: comparison compare contrast essays

Parallel Characters and Themes in Hamlet and MacBeth    Throughout William Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Macbeth there are many similarities, along with many differences. These plays are both Shakespearean tragedies, which often use supernatural incidents to capture the reader’s interest, and consists of a hero that has a tragic flaw. There are many comparative and contrasting aspects in these plays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The opening of Hamlet involves a supernatural, as does the opening of Macbeth. In the first scene the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, approaches Hamlet. Similarly, the opening of Macbeth involves the three witches. Although the witches can be seen by anyone they approach, the ghost of King Hamlet is only seen by Hamlet himself, and in one scene by Marcellus and Bernardo, Hamlet’s servants. Similarly in both plays, the main characters are slightly suspicious of the actual powers these supernatural figures have. As the witches use their apparent powers to tell Macbeth the future, the ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet what has happened already. Hamlet states in one of his soliloquies â€Å"The spirit that I have seen / may be the devil† (2.2.598-599). Macbeth also has his doubts because when the witches tell him that he will be named Thane of Cawder, Macbeth himself had not known, but many people had. It is possible the witches could have known. In the same matter in both plays, the presentation of the supernatural began to lead to the final downfall of each of the characters. In Macbeth, the three witches cause him to think and do evil deeds. In Hamlet, if he had not seen the ghost of his father, he would not have known that Claudius has killed his father to claim the throne. In both instances the characters gave into the nagging supernatural beliefs. And hence they lost their lives. Other characters in these plays show parallels in their plots. Both plays have a main character that portrays the king of that country. In Hamlet, the King of Denmark, Claudius is directly related to Hamlet. He is his uncle, and also his mother’s new husband. However, in Macbeth the King of Scotland, King Duncan, is not directly related to the main character.

Intercultural Aspect Of Culture Essay

Before evolving an intercultural model of conflict resolution it is important to understand and identify aspects of culture that lead to creation of the framework of conflict. The cultural spectrum holds different shades for a person, a society and a nation, accordingly helping each of them to assimilate and adapt to a common identity that is defined and shaped by culture (Holliday, Hyde and Kullman, 2004). In the process of evolving this collective identity, culture transcends its traditional role of providing an aggregate set of beliefs, customs, norms, values, ethics, traditions, moral, social and legal codes, perceptions, and philosophy, to become the overall physical framework for the society to function. Culture is strongly related with geographical setting of a place, religion, ethnicity, and race, explaining why different countries have different cultures, and also why places on seashore share common elements of culture that is quite different from culture of mountainous places. The imprinting of culture on ways a person thinks, acts, perceives the environment and models his/her reaction is very strong and virtually indelible, determining every aspect of human behavior and giving rise to cultural identity in addition to individual and national identity. Although the classic rational choice framework says that people are independent in choice of their behavior and approach towards events, its seen that at subtle levels the structural model provided by culture acts as final determinant in predicting a person, a society and a nation. Although culture is dynamic, evolving and continuously upgrading itself, in essence, these changes occur within the context of culture’s own timeframe. One of the most important contribution of culture to human civilization is the orientation provided towards other cultures, making the culture in question receptive, tolerant, indifferent or outright hostile towards different cultures. Societies are seldom mono-cultural, displaying a range of cultural traits, achieved through generations of trades, contact, and cross cultural mixing (Holliday, Hyde and Kullman, 2004). However, although for people belonging to a particular culture, their culture would hardly seem complex, the cultural realities are hidden beneath the surface, difficult to observe and discern from outside. These improper understanding and imperfect perceptions of culture often give rise to conflict when different cultures are required to meet or come across. In the workshops I have attended I have come across people from various cultural background and my first attempt is always to know as much possible as about them; not their individual preferences, but their cultural orientation and philosophy. My this approach has helped me immensely in not only developing an understanding of other cultures, but my own adaptability and flexibility in my relation towards them Conflict and Culture Conflict is an integral part of human culture. When a number of people of interact with their own individual perspectives, view points, ideologies, cultural and social backgrounds and intellectual development then differences and debates are bound to arise as a logical and inevitable consequence of the interaction (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). These differences, acted upon by incompatible interests of attaining personal goals, change into conflict within groups, societies and nations. (Rahim, 2001,1) The greater the diversity and richer the profile of a society, the greater is the scope and range of its embedded conflict. Therefore it is essential to educate people on understanding and handling conflict and treat as an integral component of a democratic society that is important for developing a healthy social life (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). In every conflict, whether it is individual or at social scale, culture has always an important role to play. Depending upon the actors involved and the context of conflict, the role of culture in conflict can be direct or subtle, but it is always present as the ultimate factor in deciding the scope of conflict, its direction or its outcome. Culture even decides the existence of conflict, for people who are embedded in the culture of seeing world as a harmonious entity, may not be aware of any conflict through their life. In all the major disputes, debates and disagreement taking place around world, differences in cultural identities and perceptions are fundamental causative factors. A further evidence of the role that culture plays is evinced by peace and harmony existing among societies that have same culture, such as observed between USA and Britain, sharing same historical and cultural roots. Every conflict, whether it is trans-generational, geographical, religious, organizational, or personal, has a cultural component involved. People enshrined in their own culture often react with hostility against any cultural identity that appears contrary to their thought process and ideas. It follows therefore that any effort of conflict resolution needs to incorporate cultural understanding and acknowledge the existence and necessity of diversity (ibid). Personally I have encountered cultural difference in perspective of style of communication. Some of my colleagues, belonging to different cultural background, initially took exception to the direct and frank method of communication that is followed in US, as this, according to them constitutes a mild level of effrontery. However, as they assimilated themselves with the general surrounding, they realized that the direct nature of communication is a norm, not an aberration. Communication and Conflict Communication is important, as it is the medium of conveying message, forming the first interface in method of conflict resolution. Communication is almost always within the context of culture, and culture determines the significance of words as well as gestures and non-verbal expressions, affording people with choices of high context or low context communication, depending upon their cultural maturity and ability to handle multi-culturalism and accommodate a range of opinions and ideas other than those familiar to them (Grosse, 2002). During the initial phase of cultural familiarity, communication takes place at low context, meaning that people rely more on direct verbal communication, which is more or less literal in nature. As the cultural relationship progresses, communication interaction moves ahead on continuum to become high context, and it becomes more interpersonal and contextual, minimizing chances of misunderstanding and confusion. Effective cross cultural communication is centered upon knowledge, empathy and intercultural sensitivity (ibid). The correct approach in such cases is be flexible, adaptable and receptive to all views, no matter how contrary or incongruous they appear.. A positive and patient listening attitude is also valuable as it allows people to fathom emotions of others and makes them perceptible to alternate view points. Finally, the most important attribute in cross cultural communication is recognition that every culture is correct in its own context and each has to yield some ground to reach a harmonious consensus (ibid). In my attempts to understand and know about other cultures, I have always relied on effective communication skills, that include both hearing and communicating. Personally I have felt that people from different cultures readily share their cultural background, their beliefs, customs and traditions as I myself do in a multi-cultural environment, as we all want to be well understood and appreciated. Active listening and frank communication skills have greatly helped me in establishing quick rapport in any multi-cultured environment. Discussion on mediation and skills in conflict resolution Effective communication strategies are keys to resolve conflict by providing channels that provide expression of grievances and bring conflicting parties together. In the field of conflict management, communication strategies help through the channels of 1. Negotiation: Negotiation has emerged as an important form of conflict management within organizational and social setups. As such research in communication theory in conflict management has started to pay close attention to communication behaviors, types and strategies towards successful negotiation. Negotiation, as a part of managing conflict, requires interested parties to trade proposals for settlement that include, out of court settlements, business contracts, collective bargaining contract etc (Womack, 1990, 32). As Womack further elaborates, generally the process of negotiation proceeds through motives that are both competitive and cooperative. The approach of communication in the entire process of negotiation is concerned with the messages that are transferred among negotiators and the concerned parties. Communication intervenes in the process of negotiation through its both verbal and nonverbal forms and constitutes the entire base on which the goals and terms of the bargain are negotiated. Communication plays the central role in not only developing the relationship among the parties in conflict, but also in determining its direction. It is also central in every form of bargaining process, whether the bargaining is done for organizational form of conflict management, involves conflict resolution, negotiation on legal agreements or for negotiation in inter-group an intra group conflict. The entire role of communication in negotiation processes and strategies is quite vast and it ranges from defining the conflict issues, selection and implementation of strategies to presenting and defending the viable alternatives and finally helping in reaching on a solution (Womack, 1990, 35). 2. Third party intervention: Third party intervention in conflict situation is a tricky and challenging situation. It is considered as one of those areas that offers real test to the communication skills of the intervening person. Although mediation requires a neutral and third party to bring the disputants on the resolving chairs and solve the conflict, the mediator per se, has no authority and commanding power to force the parties into acquiescing to an agreement. At the best, the mediator can use persuasive and convincing dialogues through which the involved parties voluntarily agree to reach at accord through advises, admonishments, ideas, and views of the mediator and break into meaningful dialogue with each other (Burrel, 1990, 54). Its easy to see that this entire procedure requires very high level of communication skills on the part of the mediator to successfully negotiate agreement among the conflicting parties. I have had the opportunity to mediate in certain cases of cultural misunderstanding in the workshop. I tried to resolve the dispute by completely understanding the issue of contention, and the respective approaches that each party had taken on the issue. Thereafter I clarified the entire situation to them, explaining in the process that their respective approaches where natural consequences of their cultural training and application of that training on the issue in hand. In the process I encouraged them to understand and appreciate each other’s cultural understanding and orientation, they were successful in settling the conflict. Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution In the course to evolve a systematic cultural response to conflict, the first step is to breed familiarity among cultures that adds plurality and multicultural dimension to broaden existing views. In the process of evolving cultural familiarity communication, approaches towards conflict, cultural interpretation of life and identities and roles are identified as essential parameters (Carbaugh, 1990). Out of these, role and range of communication has already been discussed. Now it is time to look at rest of three factors. Responses towards a conflict situation are largely culture dependent, guided by the ways each culture has systemized itself towards conflict. Direct and straightforward ways of approaching conflict, generally acceptable in western society, may seem threatening and offensive in eastern cultures accustomed to third party negotiations. Similarly, cultures that follow calm and reasonable response to conflict, may feel intimidated by emotional and passionate response to conflict situation (Carbaugh, 1990). Cultural interpretation of life sets the starting point for people that forms basis of their thinking, values and philosophy, eventually deciding the role they would play in every conflict and their outcome they come across. It is the cultural orientation that makes societies disciplined or diffused, generalized or specific, value oriented or bohemian, and cooperative or isolated (Carbaugh, 1990). Hence cultural conflict resolution ultimately depends on the depth of understanding attained through interaction. Intercultural differences are very real forces in an environment where multiple cultures are interacting and coordinating on day to day basis. From my learning and observation the nature intercultural differences and their consequences on organizational and group efficiency, these differences can be resolved by taking a more comprehensive, collective and adaptive view of situation, that includes our own cultural vulnerabilities when placed in an unfamiliar social structure. As the workshop trainings and experience has demonstrated, it is very important to know the cultural background of people with whom we interact, fully understand the points where our mutual cultural understanding differ and recognize where they converge. Finally we should also develop a mutual sense of regard and appreciation for our combined cultural diversity. One of the revealing experiences that I have undergone relates to issue of timeliness. While in western culture, schedules are strictly followed and meetings start exactly on designated time, it is normal in many cultures to digress in time by a limited margin. Thus, in a multi-cultured environment, cultural ignorance can lead to conflict on such simple issue of scheduled arrival, while cultural knowledge and understanding would help in ‘looking’ at from other person’s cultural lens. Given the range and depth of cultural impact on overall personal behavior and communication style of people, there are numerous situations where cultural ignorance can directly put people against each other. Hence we should always strive to learn as much about other cultures as possible and continue to update our knowledge. References Burrel, N. A, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim – editor. Praeger Publishers. :New York Rahim, M. A (2001), Managing Conflict in Organizations. Contributors: M. Afzalur: Quorum Books. Westport, CT Handbook of Conflict Management. (2003) . Jerri Killian ,William J. Pammer Jr. (edits): Marcel Dekker. New York. Womack, D. F, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim – editor. Praeger Publishers. :New York. Leborn, M. 2003. Culture and Conflict. Accessed online on 17. 11. 2007. http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Grosse, C. U. 2002. Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 65, 2002. Holliday, A. , Hyde, M. ,, Kullman, J. 2004. Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book; Routledge, Carbaugh, D. 1990 Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.