Erikson’s psychosocial development theory Essay

Introduction As a young child, he was learning everything an independent, curious, and analytical toddler would be learning. At one and a half years of age, in his second stage of child development, he was mastering his walking skills and beginning to work on control and management. By the time he turned four he was in his next stage of development, beginning to copy what he was learning from adults, and exploring new and interesting activities. He was given the opportunity of free play and improved his sense of self-esteem. This sense of imagination and creativity would help him transition to the next stage. Finally, in the fourth stage of child development, around age seven, he was beginning to question who he really was and what his purpose and role was. He was put into social situations and was given the opportunity to interact with other children. He was Erik Erikson, and little did he know may have once lived through his own stages of psychosocial development. In this paper, I will discuss Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. His credentials and research are important to support his theory, and it is interesting to know the facts about famous theorists. I will be concentrating on stages two, three, and four as they pertain to primarily early childhood students. I will also discuss what I observed in an actual classroom and compare and contrast what I found out related to the different stages. Finally, I will mention the controversy over Erik Erikson’s theory and the evidence to support and argue the facts. Erikson developed an important theory that has helped explain human development. Erik Erikson Erik Erikson was born in 1902 in Germany. He did not start his career as a psychologist; â€Å"†¦in fact, Erikson never graduated from high school† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 67). Erikson’s heavy interest and influences for identity were developed through his own experiences during school (Van Wagner, 2007). â€Å"Erikson spent his childhood in Germany, his adolescence wandering through Italy, and his young adulthood in Austria† (Berger, 2005, p. 35). A meeting with Sigmund Freud in Vienna led Erikson to an  interest for studying psychoanalysis (Woolfolk, 2007). According to Van Wagner (2007), Erikson earned a certificate from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.  Along with psychologists such as Freud, Erikson believed that crises of adult life reflect unresolved conflicts of childhood. However, his stages differed â€Å"significantly from Freud’s in that they emphasized people’s relationships to their family and culture, not only to their sexual urges† (Berger, 2005, p. 36). Through his stages, Woolfolk (2007) suggests that â€Å"Erikson offered a framework for understanding the needs of young people in relation to the society in which they grow, learn and later make their contributions† (p. 67). Each of the developmental stages confronts a person with a new task or ability that must be mastered for the best possible and most successful development (Coon, 2006). Because of this mastery, Erikson firmly believed in a psychosocial dilemma that causes problems through each stage. â€Å"A psychosocial dilemma is a conflict between personal impulses and the social world† (Coon, 2006, p. 113). The process in which the individual resolves each developmental conflict will have an impact on their self-image and view of the world (Woolfolk, 2007). Erikson identified eight different stages in the life cycle for human development (Gerrig and Zimbardo, 2005). â€Å"Erikson’s psychosocial theory emphasized the emergence of self, the search for identity, the individual’s relationships with others, and the role of culture through life† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 67). Erikson furthered his career by moving to the United States in 1933 and accepting a teaching position at t he Harvard Medical School. As well as his new teaching position, he also developed his own private practice in child psychoanalysis (Van Wagner, 2007). After arriving in the United States, according to Berger (2005), Erikson â€Å"studied Harvard students, children at play, and Native American cultures† (p. 35). All of these different experiences helped Erikson to understand the importance of cultural diversity and significant changes that occur throughout the life cycle (Berger, 2005). According to the Erik Erikson Biography, â€Å"he utilized the knowledge he gained of cultural, environmental, and social influences to further develop his psychoanalytic theory.† Through his research, Erikson gathered  all of his information and results and published numerous books on his findings, including Childhood and Society and The Life Cycle Completed. Erikson’s book, Ghandi’s Truth, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and received a national Book Award. In addition to Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, he also added an understanding of the development of personality and how it changes throughout the l ife cycle (Van Wagner, 2007). Psychosocial Development Stages â€Å"Erikson proposed eight developmental stages covering the entire life span, each characterized by a particular challenge, or developmental crisis† (Berger, 2005, p. 36). Throughout stage one, trust versus mistrust, the main challenge of a child is the significant dependence on other people, mainly the parents. Erikson suggested that this stage was known as trust or mistrust because certain attitudes are developed at this time (Coon, 2006). After attaining the goal of stage one, the ability to trust, the child is ready to move onto stage two of development. Stage Two- Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt â€Å"Erikson’s second stage, autonomy versus shame and doubt, marks the beginning of self-control and self-confidence† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 68). This stage occurs between the ages of eighteen months and three years. Children are either sufficient in activities including toilet training, or begin to doubt their own abilities if they are unsuccessful (Berger, 2005). The children that can complete this stage with success develop a sense of confidence and security, but those who do not succeed are left with a feeling of self-doubt (Van Wagner, 2007). â€Å"If parents do not maintain a reassuring, confident attitude and do not reinforce the child’s efforts to master basic motor and cognitive skills, children may begin to feel shame; they may learn to doubt their abilities to manage the world on their own terms† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 68). Toddlers want to develop autonomy (also known as self-rule) over themselves and be able to control their actions. According to Erikson, the most efficient way of getting past this crisis and developing autonomy is a sense of guidance and security from parents (Berger, 2005). Overall, in stage  two, Erikson believes that if children experience too much doubt they will lack self-esteem in their abilities throughout their life. As long as the child can maintain their self-esteem and develop their sense of autonomy, they can move on to the third stage (Woolfolk, 2007). Stage Three- Initiative versus Guilt â€Å"During the third developmental stage described by Erikson, called initiative versus guilt, selfesteem emerges from the skills and competencies that demonstrate independence and initiative† (Berger, 2005, p. 237). This stage generally happens between the ages of three and six. During this stage, children move from simple activities to more complex such as developing self-control and beginning to take initiative (Coon, 2006). Woolfolk states â€Å"the challenge of this period is to maintain a zest for activity and at the same time understand that not every impulse can be acted on† (2007, p. 68). During the first years of school, children take the initiative and control their world through organizing social interactions (Van Wagner, 2007). Children want to participate in adult like activities, but are afraid of the guilt they may experience (Berger, 2005). â€Å"If children are not allowed to do things on their own, a sense of guilt may develop; they may come to bel ieve that what they want to do is always wrong† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 68). When children play, they learn how to make plans and follow through with them. Parents should give children the freedom and opportunity to do things on their own, such as ask questions, play, and choose their own activities (Coon, 2006). Toward the end of the preschool years, children who develop that sense of trust can initiate activities both intellectual and motor, to help them learn that they can do things on their own (Gerrig and Zimbardo, 2005). According to the article entitled, Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, â€Å"Children who are successful at this stage feel capable and able to lead others. Those who fail to acquire these skills are left with a sense of guilt, self-doubt, and lack of initiative† (Van Wagner, 2007). Many psychologists, such as Erikson, believe that guilt is a more mature and natural emotion than shame, but both shame and guilt derive from social standards. On the other hand, guilt indicates that the child has  become self-motivated (Berger, 2005). The ways that parents react to their child’s activities either encourages their sense of freedom and confidence or produces the feelings of guilt, which makes the child feel that they are doing wrong and canno t overcome this challenge to move to the next stage (Gerrig and Zimbardo, 2005). After overcoming and mastering the skill to take initiative, the child is ready to move to the fourth stage of development. Stage Four- Industry versus Inferiority The challenge for the child during their school years is what Erikson named industry versus inferiority (Woolfolk, 2007). This is the fourth stage of psychosocial development, and occurs during the early school years from approximately age five to eleven. â€Å"During the elementary school years, the child who has successfully resolved the crises of the earlier stages is ready to go beyond random exploring and testing to the systematic development of competencies† (Gerrig and Zimbardo, 2005, p. 338). During these years, children learn and develop skills that are valued by society, and their success or failure affects their feeling of competence (Coon, 2006). During this psychosocial crisis of industry versus inferiority, children work on mastering the abilities that are valued by their culture (Berger, 2005). The children can see the relationship between determination and the pleasure that comes when a job is completed (Woolfolk, 2007). Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development suggests that social interactions allow children to develop pride in their accomplishments and abilities (Van Wagner, 2007). Children learn the sense of industry if they win praise for their productive activities, and the sense of inferiority if their efforts are inadequate or unsuccessful (Coon, 2006). â€Å"Children must master new skills and work toward new goals, at the same time they are being compared to others and risking failure† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 69). Each child judges themselves in their own way as either industrious or inferior; they look at it as either being a winner or a loser (Berger, 2005). The way that each individual child copes with their own crisis in this stage, affects the  outcomes of the rest of their school years (Woolfolk, 2007). Once again parental guidance is important. The  children that are praised by their parents develop a feeling of confidence and belief in their own abilities, but those who receive little recognition from their parents revert back to the feeling of doubt from the previous stages (Van Wagner, 2007). As children move to the adolescence stage, their cognitive processes develop more effectively and they can think theoretically and can understand the ideas of others more clearly (Woolfolk, 2007). The severity and degree to the challenges varies widely from each child, and they must learn how to cope with their challenges individually to overcome them, and move onto the next stage of development. Most of the techniques to transition to the next stage come naturally, but each child may develop them at different rates. It is important to help the child successfully overcome their challenges to help them move onto the next stage (Berger, 2005). There are four more developmental stages that help in describing the development of the psychosocial theory, and Van Wagner (2007) states that during each stage people experience a conflict or crisis that helps as a transition in the developmental process. This challenge or crisis must be met and overcome before the child can move onto the next stage. While figuring out how to conquer their own personal challenge, the child will learn skills and abilities that will help them in their development throughout the life cycle (Woolfolk, 2007). Observations When children start school, around the age of five, their cognitive abilities are developing rapidly (Woolfolk, 2007). â€Å"The elementary-school years are a child’s ‘entrance into life’† (Coon, 2006, p. 114). Children begin to process more information faster; they are moving from preoperational to concrete operational thinking. â€Å"As these internal changes progress, the children are spending hours every weekday in the new physical and social world of school† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 69). On March 3, 2008, I visited Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School. I was in a second grade classroom and  was able to observe and analyze the children. I wanted to look for the specific actions and transitions Erik Erikson discusses in his second, third, and fourth stages of psychosocial development. Since I was in a second grade classroom I knew that I would probably see children transitioning from stage three to four, and also children already in stage four. I was first looking for the physical development of the children. By the age of six or seven most children should have the ability of grasping and controlling, which is one of the main abilities learned in stage two. I observed that most children had good control over their actions and knew what they were doing. Next, I wanted to look for the independence in each student. As Woolfolk (2007) states â€Å"the child continues to become more assertive and to take more initiative but may be too forceful, which can lead to guilty feelings† (p. 67). I looked for a student that seemed to be very talkative or participated often. I wanted to try and find patterns in their behavior. I watched one specific student for awhile, and noticed a few interesting things. First, he always wanted to participate, which signified that he w asn’t afraid to talk in front of the class. This shows that he is able to be independent and shows that he has successfully reached the goal of stage three, which is self-esteem and â€Å"self-concept, or understanding of the self† (Berger, 2005, p. 237). Lastly, I wanted to see if any student was in stage four of industry versus inferiority. Erikson suggests that social relationships and interaction become very important in this stage. Students face the challenge of learning new tasks and when accomplishing each assignment they either feel a sense of success (industry) or failure (inferiority). I noticed that if a student received a wrong answer they would cover their head in their desk or look down. On the other hand, if a student was correct, they would hold their head high and were quite proud. These observations made it easier to picture what each child goes through during each stage. Observing students in the classroom gives sufficient first-hand experience in what children act like in each stage, and being able to analyze their actions made it easier to understand. I was able to directly apply the characteristics common to each stage to specific  children, and see how each child was different from the others. It is important to remember that all children develop at different rates and some students may not be in the same stage as others. I looked for common characteristics and  behaviors to compare, and found it very helpful in my research to link the qualities with the specific stages. Controversy Erikson’s research and development of his psychosocial theory has sparked controversy over the years. There have been specific questions about his theory regarding the issues of the identity and intimacy, and how they intertwine in the development of a person. â€Å"Erikson’s work helped start the lifespan development approach, and his theories have been especially useful in understanding adolescence. But feminists have criticized this notion that identity precedes intimacy, because their research indicates that for women, identity achievement is fused with achieving intimacy† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 72). Erikson did not believe in the intimacy part of development in young children, unlike other psychologists such as Sigmund Freud. Erikson believed that the main part of each stage was a developmental crisis, while Freud on the other hand believed in the sexual impulses each person experienced. There are different opinions and perspectives on human development, and ea ch theorist has a different approach in figuring out the best way to describe the human life cycle. There are more positive observations on Erikson’s theory than there are negative. Most of the negative responses can be outweighed by positive remarks. One of the main concerns with people that disagree with Erikson is the developmental crisis aspect. According to the article entitled Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory (2007), the challenges and conflicts in each stage are not clearly defined. This article also suggests that the challenges in each stage may overlap and that could cause confusion in determining which stage a child may be in. On the other hand, Erikson suggests that these challenges must be achieved progressively and cannot be  overcome in one day. There are disagreements with every theory and each theorist has their own way of proving its truth. Erikson believed that the crises were not determined by age, rather the achievement of the abilities that must be mastered in each stage (Chapman, 2007). Conclusion All in all, the psychosocial development theory created by psychologist Erik Erikson, has been helpful in trying to figure out the process of the human life cycle. Erikson’s background was important in that his own personal experiences influenced him, and sparked the interest of human development and identity. Being influenced by Freud, he was able to compare and contrast his own theory to Freud’s, and give reasons why he thought his stages of development were more accurate. In Erikson’s eight stages, primarily stages two, three, and four, concentrate on the years of early childhood. These stages are crucial for the development of a child while going through many changes, such as beginning school and becoming more independent. The second stage of autonomy versus shame/doubt, from the age of eighteen months to three years, is when the child develops self-esteem and confidence. After mastering these skills the child progresses to stage three, (age three to six year s) initiative versus guilt, and begins to develop a sense of independence. Finally between the age of five and eleven and in stage four, industry versus inferiority, the child is met with social interactions and learns the abilities valued by society. These three stages are important in a child during their early years of life. By observing an actual classroom setting, I was able to apply the abilities described in each stage and analyze how the children acted. I noticed common patterns and behaviors that were described in each of the three stages, and thought it was very helpful to see the children in an actual classroom setting at work. There were some differences from Erikson’s theory to the way the children acted. As with any theory, there are controversies that need to be researched. Erikson’s theory has been questioned on why there isn’t a place for intimacy in the stages, but his stages are set up to evolve the identity. There is also the question of the clearly defined transition from each crisis. Erikson concludes that  one c annot transition from one crisis to the next in one day. The change of stages must be gradual with the mastering of specific abilities. Erik Erikson believed that his stages of psychosocial development would help people understand the changes each child goes through. He labeled each phase according to the characteristics and behaviors the child exhibits around a certain age. With his theory, people can begin to understand what children go through during their first few years of development. I believe that Erikson created an efficient theory for people to analyze and observe in children to determine how they develop. I think that this theory, along with any other theory, gives an alternate view on the development of a human, and how they develop and master the abilities learned throughout life. References Berger, K. S., (2005). The developing person through the life span. New York, NY: Catherine Woods. Chapman, A. (2006-7). Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. Retrieved March 16, 2008, from http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm#freud’s_psychose xual_stages. Coon, D. (2006). Psychology: A journey. Mason, OH: Thomson Wadsworth. Gerrig, R. J., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2005). Psychology and life. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Van Wagner, K. (2007). Erik Erikson biography. Retrieved February 18, 2008, from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_erikson.htm. Van Wagner, K. (2007). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development. Retrieved February 23, 2008, from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/psychosocial.htm. Woolfolk, A. (2007). Educational psychology. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Are we True Muslims of Allah Essay

Today I am going to discuss whether we are true servants of Allah. Many of us say that we are Allah’s servants but do are actions really confirm it. There are three ways in which we can check if we really are the true servants of Allah. First we must know that he is our master and we are his slaves and we are entirely devoted to him. Secondly, we should only do those actions which will earn his pleasure and stay from the actions which will make him angry. Third, we must know that all our possessions belong to Allah and therefore we should us it as he has commended. Coming back to the first point that we are his slaves and he is our master we must realize that as his slaves we must always submit 100% to the will of Allah. There is a story recorded in history in which a very well mannered and understanding slave saw that his master was very worried. The slave asked his master why he was so sad. The master responded that he had a high debt but no money to pay them off. The slaves suggested that he should be sold in the market and use the money pay off the debts. The master refused because his debts were so high that even if he were to sell the slave it would not be enough to cover his debts. So the slave said to set the price at the amount of the debts and if anyone asks questions regarding the high price then to just tell them that this slave knows the rules relating to servitude and being a slave very well. So the master went to the market and was trying to sell the slave at the price that his debts were. When people saw the price of the slave they just laughed and who can really blame them. I mean who would want to buy a slave that’s really expensive when you can get one that s 10 times cheaper. After a little while a man came and asked the reason for the high selling price. To this the master responded that this slave knows the rules to servitude very well. The man decided to purchase him on the condition that if this was not true he would want a refund for the slave. Now the new master took the slave home and in order to see if this slave really knew the rules to servitude was true or not, the new master gave an order to whip this poor slave. In response to the torture, the slave did not cry or scream – nor did he even ask the reason for the beatings! After some time, the man asked the slave, Do you not feel any pain? and If you do, then why don’t you say anything. To this the slave said, I am the slave and you are the master and it is not appropriate that a slave questions his master – rather, he should agree 100% with whatever his master commands. If you grant me some blessings  then I will submit to you and if you punish me, still I will submit to you. Now although in this story the whipping is completely not justified its shows that we must all be like this poor slave. Like the slave said when he was getting whipped if you grant me blessings then I will submit to you and if you punish me I will still submit to you. For us this means that if something good happens in our life than we should thank Allah and if something bad happens to us or to those that we love then we should not blame Allah. We must accept that Allah knows best and keep on thanking him for what good he has brought in our lives and be patience with any hardship that we face. One who does not understand the secret behind being the slave of Allah would fall into the quranic verse of Sura Marij ayats 19-21 which mean Surely man is created of hasty temperament Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him And stingy when good befalls him These ayahs basically just mean that when something good happens we thank Allah but when something bad happens we get upset at Allah. Also in the quran in sura sad ayats 82-83 shaytan is telling Allah Then by Your Might, I will certainly make them all live an evil life, except Your servants from amongst them, the ones whom You have purified (of sin).. Now if were not counted as the servants of Allah then unfortunately we are in shaytans side. And like the ayah said that the ones who are not the servants of Allah will live an evil life. The second point is that we must remember that Allah can be both angry and pleased with us. Therefore, we must always be careful to do only those acts  which will gain the pleasure of Allah and stay away from those things which will anger him. Ayatollah Khomeini used to emphasize the fact that there is no such thing as a minor sin – rather all sins are major – of course they are on different levels. However, one must keep In mind that we are displeasing and sinning against him, not that we feel that a certain sin is unimportant or small. Any kind of sin will displease Allah and therefore will displease the prophet and the imams. In a narration we read that Allah has said, Do not think that if you do 1 sin its no big deal because it may be for that 1 sin that Allah removes his protection on you. And also do not think that if you do a good dead it’s also not really a big deal because that one good dead may be the dead that makes Allah protect you. The third point to remember as part of being true servants to Allah is that we must realize everything belongs to Allah, whether it is our wealth, children, intellect or anything else. If one accepts this fact, then it is very easy for us to give our time, wealth, or anything else for the cause of Allah. As an example, if someone gives you one hundred dollars to distribute among the poor, we would see how easy it is for us to give out this wealth since the money was not ours. If we think about it whatever money we have is not really ours. rather, it is a trust that Allah has given to us that must be spent in His way how He has commanded it to be used. We must realize that everything we have is from Allah. Therefore, in conclusion, in order to be considered as true servants of Allah, we must be very careful of the three things 1. We must know and remember at all times that we are His slaves and He is our Master, and so we must submit entirely to Him. 2. We must perform only those acts which will earn His pleasure and stay from those things that will make him angry. 3. And finally we must know that whatever we have is really His property and it should be spent or used as He has commanded us.

Immigration Paper

From the air we breathe to the food we eat, we as people are all the same. Whether it may be light skin or dark skin, characteristics in which make us different on the outside differ, not because we want it to, but because of our ancestral history. History shows us that because of a person's location, adaptation to that location occurs.For instance, history shows us that people of darker skin are found in countries closer to the equator because more pigment is needed in a persons genetic makeup In order to withdraw themselves from the various diseases and effects that may be obtained from standing in the sun for an extended period of time. There are several causes and disparities of external traits or appearances that divide us Into several groupings or categories which are called â€Å"races. † In other words, races categorize people through socially significant hereditary traits.With the has been defined differently all throughout history. These indistinct interpretations ef fect the way one approaches the topic. Racism can broadly be defined as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement; usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. Racism and discrimination being the acts of ones prejudicial thoughts can lead us to believe that discrimination based on someone's ethnicity occurs everywhere.From the houses or apartments we live in to the shoes we wear anything and everything is a reflection of ethnic discrimination. For example, in America we have a capitalistic economy. In a capitalistic economy entrepreneurs profit off of work done by others who are hired to do the Jobs that business owners do not want to do. Statistics show that Jobs such as farming, cleaning, plumbing, etc. Are done by minorities while the superior race who is usually a white male gains a vast majority of profit due to many hours worked and low pay. Racism, a n ideology that is taught not born with, is present throughout the labor force.Ethnic discrimination is used to maintain balance throughout the division of labor. As stated previously in a capitalistic economy every Job requires someone of a Geiger position. No matter what Job title a person may have there is always someone of higher power. With that said, the workers who usually do the low end Jobs are usually Latino and African-Americans who are a minority race in America the land we call a democratic territory, though many beg to differ. Everywhere we look serves as a primary example to ethnic discrimination.This can be illustrated when stepping foot into a McDonald's seeing almost every worker of colored skin working six to twelve hours, still having trouble having a place to sleep, and knowing that the rooters Richard and Maurice McDonald are multi billionaires off of the work done by mostly minorities. Ethnicity: I am Spanish. I am White. I am Black. I am of Korean decent. I a m British. I don't have race or culture. Comments such as these are every day examples of how many people view their race and identity. Even though many people are unsure of what it truly means to have culture we make claims about it on a daily basis.Some feel they have a race while others simply feel they do not. We include based on who fits into this ideal and exclude those who do not. The fact of the matter is that culture is employ, learned through every day experience, conflicting and contradictory, relational because it is learned through interactions with others, and per formative, as our interactions are performances with public domain, is something that people never seem to think about, until we are put in a situation, in which we then become aware that we are different.Our knowledge of culture, ethnicity and identity is subconsciously internalized on a daily basis through constant social interactions. Although the concepts of race and ethnicity are socially constructed, th ey are real in their consequences. Their affects on the social world can be seen from my very own how Vive come to view my own sense of identity. As an adoptive child of white decent in a Hispanic family which lived in a predominately African American neighborhood I noticed many things as a child that allowed me to constantly become aware that I was different.Through interactions with peers in my elementary school, I noticed my hair was different; my color was a lot lighter than most, and that I was overall different. â€Å"Look who has nice shiny hair† were comments that lingered through my Junior high school days, where I struggled o fit in by shaving my head and dressing a certain way. Although I longed to feel a part of a certain group I kept sane by hanging with people of similar background. We were all ethnically similar in the sense that we all derived from Hispanic households. Based on this exclusion, ethnic symbols such as Spanish music and dancing were what set us a part and defined us.Not only was this alienation felt among my peers and myself, but it was also felt inside the classroom. Growing up I never quite felt that I could speak up in class and show my outgoing personality at such a young age n fear that people would make fun of me. I knew I was different and did not want to cause them to focus their attention on that difference. For projects in school, I would always take the role that required speaking the least, so that I wouldn't have to speak in front of them. I got along with everybody, but was not truly myself until I set foot inside my home, my private domain.At home I could eat all the rice and beans I wanted to without the fear of abandonment. Moving on to high school it was as if there was a shift from being ashamed of my race and culture to embracing it and wanting to showcase it. It was overnight, and I don't think that there was ever a time where I Just changed overnight, but it was definitely a process of starting to becom e comfortable in my own skin and being surrounded in an ethnic school with different cultures, and not Just whites, that allowed me to really embrace my racial difference. High school whether subconscious or not, racial sub-cultures emerge.In high school, cliques are formed on that very aspect of ethnicity and culture. People hang out with people that look like them, that dress likes them, and who they feel they can relate to. It was high school where I truly Egan to have a sense of my Hispanic culture. I ate all the rice and beans, danced to salsa and meringue, and sang along to Marc Anthony and Victor Manuel. It was only there that my true outgoing and friendly personal came out. I became more a more active participant in the school. For instance, becoming part of committees such as film club, debate club, and music club. Also big part of the swim team.Although I associated with all races, I took pride in hanging with my friends in my ethnic group. Only there we could talk about t he latest of our countries. The newfound confidence in my culture had a lot to do with media presentations. Despite the embedded racism towards Hispanics and African Americans on television, when growing up Hispanic artists had become increasingly popular, and so had urban culture. Spanish music had been brought back to light, and it had taken my fear of being different with it. Not only did I listen to it, I made it apart of me and welcomed it with open arms.When I watched television though I look nothing like the Hispanic people on television I knew I was apart of them because of the family I had been growing up in. I related to the culture. The culture have respect for it. Not only did media representations of black culture help me to understand my identity, it also helped redefine it. What I through it meant to belong to my Hispanic culture had begun to change. â€Å"Why can't you dance to Meringue? â€Å", â€Å"Can't talk Spanish? † , were common questions that were m ade to me as I moved up in my high school years.I began to feel stigmatize by my own Hispanic people. No I had to work twice as hard because I didn't fit in with the whites, and I didn't fully fit in with the Hispanics. For whites, I was to loud, liked too much Spanish music and had a style that was too â€Å"ghetto'. So again, I began to have doubts as to where I fit in. My university years were where I surrounded myself with other adoptive students who were able to relate, and find a true sense of identity. It is now since I am older and in university do I understand the power the media had in reinforcing stereotypes and maintaining social inequalities.It is this aspect do I continue to four struggles with today. As I am plagued with images of Hispanic women pregnant, speaking in slang, fighting, and in music videos half naked. Only within the last few years have I come to understand why I was struggling with fitting in. It is because the media portrays how they perceive the majo rity of Hispanic women. We get caught up in their misconceptions, and Just buy into what we think we are destined to become. The media leaves out the successful Hispanics who have struggled to make their life one worth living.Immigration: In 21st century America, illegal immigration is an issue at the forefront of many a debate. While people have always unlawfully crept across borders, recent history has seen no such wave of this crime as has been on display in the USA over the last few decades. Stemming from Central and South America, primarily Mexico, the flow of â€Å"border mummers† has increased substantially, and continues to do so, despite the efforts of border patrols and organizations such as Americans for Legal Immigration, Americans for Immigration Control, and the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.According to the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) estimates of the illegal immigration population, between 1990 and 2000 the amount of illegal immigrants to the US rose at an average of 350,200 people every year, doubling the nation's entire illegal population. ‘ The amount of illegal immigrants has become so vast that since the mid-sass the umber of people entering the US illegally has surpassed that of their legal counterpart. Ii In 2000, INS estimates had the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico alone at 4,808,000, more than 60% of total Mexican immigrants. Ii By amount of illegal immigrants, the next 9 source countries combined provide less than a quarter of the people Mexico does. One of the most significant impacts of illegal immigration in the US has been crime. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on incarcerated arrested a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. 49% had previously been convicted of a felony, 20% of a drug offense; 18% a violent offense, and 11%, other felony offenses. 1% of the arrests occurred after 1990 56% of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted on at least 5 prior occasions. Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. 90% had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, 50% had been arrested for violent or drug-related felonies. Iv Note the â€Å"reentry offense† in the last two statistics. There are criminals who had already been convicted of crimes and deported on previous occasions, only to return illegally and continue a life of crime.According to the US Justice Department, over the course of 2003 an estimated 270,000 illegal immigrants served Jail time throughout the country. Of those, 108,000 were in California, the state that suffers the most from crime on the part of illegal immigrants. According to an Urban Institute study, 17% of America's prison population at a federal level consists of illegal aliens, an astounding f igure, engendering they only make up 3% of the US population. Former California Gob. Pete Wilson places the percentage of illegal aliens in U. S. Prisons even higher, at 20%.The incessant illegal immigrant crime wave shows no signs of slowing down, and the US government is not taking serious enough prevention measures. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, citing US Justice Department statistics, â€Å"In March 2000, Congress made public Department of Justice statistics showing that, over the previous five years, the INS had released over 35,000 criminal aliens instead of deporting them. Over 11,000 of those released went on to commit serious crimes, over 1,800 of which were violent ones [including 98 homicides, 142 sexual assaults, and 44 kidnappings]. While many deported aliens reenter the country, it is a daunting enough task to prevent some from doing so a second time, and undoubtedly is a more effective measure in prevention than simply releasing them on to the streets, where crime in their demographic is prevalent. Part of the reason for such an enormous amount of crimes carried out by illegal aliens is the ease with which they can obtain assistance and backing from gangs, cost notable Mar Cultural, otherwise known as MS-13.Created in the sass by a group of Salvadoran peasants trained in guerilla warfare, MS-13 has become possibly Central America's greatest problem, and a growing one in the United States. Since â€Å"precise† statistics are impossible to obtain, the true strength of MS-ass's presence in America is unknown, but estimates claim over 15,000 members in over 115 cliques in 33 states, and these numbers are ever growing. Unlike Mafias of the past, where there was at least some code of conduct, MS-13 has become infamous for their depravity and brutality, not limiting themselves in any way.As noted in press releases by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, in 2003 multiple members of MS-13 were deported for the sexual assault of 2 minors, aged 16 and 17, displayed this brutality with the killing of children. V Physical harm caused by illegal aliens does not only come in the form of outright crime. Of 71 fatal car accidents on the Eastern Shore since 2002, thirteen were caused by illegal aliens, all but three of which had no insurance. In most cases, the vehicles had no inspection stickers, the drivers carried no license and alcohol was a factor.To anyone with common sense this comes as no surprise, seeing as one who displays contempt for the law by illegally entering the country, will probably show the same lack of respect toward any other laws, such as those put in place to keep US drivers safe. As well, there is the factor of diseases that are not endemic to the United States being spread by illegal aliens, who cross the border unscreened. Diseases either no longer existent in America, or seen only rarely, have seen comebacks or growth, including Malaria, Dengue, Leprosy, Hepatit is A-E, Chaos Disease, Sadomasochists,Guiana Worm Infection, Whooping Cough, Streptococci, Morsel's, Tuberculosis and HIVE. Malaria has seen recent outbreaks in New Jersey, New York City, Houston, and California, although it was eradicated from the US in the sass. Dengue, a disease heretofore unknown in the US, has now been recognized in a few outbreaks. In the 40 years prior to 2002, only 900 cases of Leprosy had been recorded in the US. From 2002 to 2005, that number ballooned to 9,000, most of which were illegal aliens.In 2004, more than 650 people contracted Hepatitis A at a single Mexican restaurant in Pennsylvania, four of whom died. Chaos disease is endemic to Central and South America, and until recently was unknown in the United States; current estimates show up to 500,000 people infected with it, mostly illegal aliens. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease that kills approximately 2 million people around the world each year, and is spread in the same fashion as the c ommon cold.The United States has one of the lowest Tuberculosis rates in the world, whereas Mexico is 10 times higher. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few years ago a Multi-Drug-Resistant (MAD) strain of TAB has emerged, that is resistant to all tankard antibiotics, and treatment can cost between $250,000 and $1 per person. According to one expert, in 2005, of the 407 known cases of MAD-TAB in California, 84% were in â€Å"foreign born† patients, mostly from Mexico and the Philippines who had been in America less than 5 years.According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 a newer strain was recognized, referred to as CDR-TAB (Extensive/Extreme Drug Resistant), which, as of late 2006, accounted for 4% of all US MAD-TAB cases, and is virtually incurable regardless of cost. While exact numbers for HIVE infected illegal aliens are impossible to obtain, due to he fact that researchers rarely ask one's citizenship status, what is known is that in California there are roug hly 2 HIVE infected Latin women for every infected Caucasian woman. The criminal ramification of so many illegal immigrants plays a role in the financial effect as well.Between 2001 and 2004, the Federal Bureau of Prisons' cost to incarcerate illegal aliens rose from about $950 million to about $1. 2 billion. As this is federal spending, it is money obtained through taxation, essentially leaving law- incarcerated illegal aliens deported, federal spending could drop more than $1 lions dollars a year, by all means a small move toward pulling the country out of debt, but a move nonetheless. The sheer mass of humanity pouring over the borders is something that cannot be withstood by America's financial means, and it's starting to show. In August 2009, the unemployment rate in America peaked at 9. %, more than double the 4. 6% of Just 2 years earlier, partly due to the fact that illegal immigrants have taken many Jobs once held by taxpaying American citizens. These illegal laborers have little trouble finding Jobs, especially those requiring little to no special skills, since they are willing o work for little, and their employment is under-the-table, saving employers money that would otherwise be spent on employee benefits and taxes. In the US, illegal immigrants currently make up 20% of cooks, 25% of construction laborers, 22% of maids/housekeepers, 25% of grounds maintenance workers, and 29% of agricultural workers.The combined total Jobs now unavailable to taxpaying Americans Just in these 5 professions exceeds 1. 72 million! Viii As if the direct financial ramifications of illegal immigrants taking Jobs from citizens weren't enough, taxpaying Americans are all but forced into financial benison by the second half of the coin. Due to millions of dollars in taxes not being paid due to illegal immigrants being paid off the books, taxes are hiked up to compensate for the drop in money being obtained by the government through taxation.So, while the illegal alien has a Job that pays him in cash, and no taxes to pay, the unemployed American citizen is now forced to pay higher tax rates without any income, which by definition can only lead to financial ruin, and subsequent reliance on the government for sustenance. A vast majority of those who advocate amnesty for illegal aliens are liberal Democrats, whose central political belief is that of a powerful government, and perhaps the fact the sudden influx of humanity would force more people into reliance on federal aid is precisely why.Amnesty for illegal aliens is, in concept, a beautiful, humanitarian idea. The argument usually flows along the lines of how poor, unskilled, uneducated workers from foreign countries only want to legally succeed, and support families, and become law abiding citizens who can better society. Statistics, however, quickly disprove this by displaying the truth behind the scourge of illegal immigrants. How their blatant, overall lack of respect for the nation's laws harms Americans financially and physically. How even after being arrested, or deported, they continue to break the law with little regard to possible consequences.As well, advocates for amnesty refuse to realize the practical impossibility of it. If amnesty to all illegal aliens was granted, the economy would not be able to provide nearly enough Jobs (as we are now seeing). Thanks to â€Å"anchor babies† (babies born in the US to illegal alien parents, so that the baby will be US citizen by birth, thus asking deportation of its parents all but impossible), millions of dollars are doled out by the government every year to illegal aliens to care for their US citizen children in the form of WICK, food stamps, and welfare.If the parents of these children were all suddenly legalized, welfare and food stamps would be handed out for them as well, raising government spending, and vicariously all taxpaying citizens would suffer by sustenance to families that would prefer to suckle at the t eat of the American government than to go out and work for a living. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people pour into America unlawfully. They upriver Americans of Jobs, receive government benefits that cost every taxpaying citizen, bring diseases, steal, assault, kill, drive recklessly, over-populate our prisons, and generally ignore the law.They come in such swarms that the entire American culture has been forced to bend to their will, with every large corporation and government agency now offering Spanish versions of all their services. They make life for American citizens financially difficult, and infuriate many with their brazen attitude toward learning English, with the belief that things must be available to them in Spanish. They make America a more dangerous place for all. Illegal immigration is a plague, and like all other plagues throughout history, it must be quashed quickly and decisively.Conclusion: All in all, we are all people. We all aspire to be something. Des pite the facts that show the negatives upon minorities, they are forced into situations in which they cannot control or have a hard time in doing so because of racism. Racism puts them in an environment in which violence is constantly around them. Without the absence of racism and the acceptance of people into a new world in which is made for all and not Just some, there will never be a world which can prosper.

The Institutions paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Institutions paper - Essay Example al., 20). The Senate and the House of Committees functions start with checking on 10,000 bills every year. These bills are the proposals that later become new laws. Out of the 10,000 bills, only 650 bills pass to become laws. The Senate and the House of Committees always execute this process in one building but they meet in separate venues (Plesser 33). Both the Senate and House of Representatives have special committees to scrutinize the bills in ensuring that they are studied carefully. Each committee analyzes a bill with a particular topic, say, farming, taxes or environment. If the committee finds that the bill is good, they present it to the House or Senate. Subsequently, if the committee approves the bill, they will pass it to the president to sign it (Jenkins 27). The Congress is also responsible for setting up the structure of the Department of Homeland Security. Still, it pays the military forces and chooses the states to add to the Union. The Congress as well takes an investigative role and assesses the executive’s operations. Besides, the Senate also works together with the presidency to appoint the officials in the executive branch as well as high-ranking judges. The representation of the people is evident in the House of Representatives since it bases on population. However, the Senate has a discriminatory quality by having only two senators from each state. Nevertheless, there has been great electoral popularity in the Senate after the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 (Greenberg & Benjamin 13). In ensuring the effectiveness of the Federal government, the presidency also plays numerous roles. To begin with, the president of America is the chief executive according to the constitution. The president is the supervisor in the executive; he appoints the officials and also ensures full implementation of everything that happens in

Multiculturalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multiculturalism - Essay Example Writing on the ways in which multiculturalism impacts the workforce of global organizations, Weeks (2001) noted that it is virtually impossible to go global when the workforce cannot be one that can also be described to be global. Meanwhile, Christensen (2011) emphasized that practicing multiculturalism opens organizations up to have a workforce that is made up of people from as many cultural backgrounds that represents globalizing of the workforce. Leaders of organizations that practice multiculturalism have also been identified to have the peculiar advantage of applying global leadership (Weeks, 2001). This is because it is only through global leadership that the unique and dynamic interest of all people from diverse cultures can be catered for. What may be more graceful is that while organizations practice global leadership, it is not only their workforce that they lead from a global perspective but they are also offered the advantage of serving their clients and customers from a global perspective (Edmondson and Smith, 2006). In conclusion, multiculturalism impacts organizations positively and ought to be adhered to at all time within organizations that want to go

Impact of the Black Death Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Impact of the Black Death - Term Paper Example Fathers left diseased children and wives left husbands, such was the situation back then. Between 1347 and 1351, it killed nearly 30% of the European population and a phenomenon known as depopulation occurred. Not only that but also economic, political and cultural changes were brought about by plague. Victims of plague died every day and there was no one to claim their bodies or no one to bury them (Gottfried, 1983). The Black Death was also there in Asia and the Middle East during 1347-51, simultaneously with Western Europe (Peschke, 2008). The economic impact of the Black Death was that it favored the peasants more than the landowners or the elites. Impact Before the Black Death period, Europe was reaping the fruit of its growth. There was an agricultural revolution at the start of the 14th century in Europe and food production increased and the area under cultivation increased. However there was a famine for two years in Europe (1315 to 1317) but the growth far surpassed it. But the growth period came to an end in1347 when Europe was struck by the Black Death, which left the entire Europe in pessimism and melancholy (Peschke, 2008). Investigating the effects of plague was important in knowing the economic and demographic trends as a lot of controversies were involved. One of the controversies was that deaths were not caused by plague but because the Jews had poisoned the water wells. Innocent Jews were killed, not by plague but by the people who held them guilty for the chronic depopulation (Peschke, 2008). One of the most affected European countries was Italy, so in-depth studies to find out the causes and remedies for plague were very necessary. The Black Death was an outcome of bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic symptoms of plague. The Black Death was a part of the second plague pandemic, as it was its first epidemic and it recurred in the eighteenth century. Before Europe was hit by plague, it was dominated by aristocrats and religious leaders as they o wned property and ruled over peasants and the working class in general. Labor was underpaid and abundant in supply but after plague, when chronic depopulation occurred, technological methods were introduced to meet the shortage of workers and overtime, it became good substitutes for human labor (Bowsky, 1964). There are various viewpoints for the Black Death as some historians believe that the impact of the Black Death was transient while others believe that it was the main driving force which revolutionized medieval Europe into modern Europe. Some religious leaders like Cardinal F. A. Gasquet associate the Black Death with the downfall of the Christian church. Monasticism was particularly more adversely affected by the Black Death. Whereas there were also some optimists like G. G. Coulton, who viewed the effects of depopulation as beneficial for the ones who survived, as they had more wealth per head and as a result the advent of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation was made possible. Besides that, the Black Death also had a psychological impact as the survivors were disturbed by the massive wave of plague and the way it killed so many of the people they knew or were related to. Some people are of the opinion that the Black Death was too massive a blow to Europe and hence they categorize it under the three worst catastrophes that ever took place on the face of this earth. With time, people forget how huge the impact of a particular catastrophe was. For instance some Marxists and non-Marxist both sideline the Black Death as a part of a crisis, rather than being the main crisis itself (Gottfried, 1983). Europe was dominated by feudalism before the end of the 13th century and peasants were paid less, even though they worked a lot. But after the end of

In postcolonial contemporary societies there are no longer any Essay

In postcolonial contemporary societies there are no longer any frontiers, only borders'. Critically consider this view and con - Essay Example The colonial states therefore created order within the colonial territories and hence the possibility of conflict emerging between different communities was limited to certain levels due to reduced interaction. This also saw the reduction in the cultural diversity and the exchange of cultural values between different colonial societies. The postcolonial state and the freedom that has been created as a result of revolution within different countries have resulted into different consequences to the society. According to Singh & Schmidt (2009), these consequences are directly or indirectly related to the artificial boundaries that were created by the colonial power. It is important to note that the post colonial and the decolonization movements adopted the boundaries that were created by these colonialists and hence created a nation state. Even though it was imagined that the nation so created is different from the colonial one, it was not different, the nation remained the same through out. The concept of imprisonment within the territories created the state nations through colonial territorial cartographies. It is this state nation that resulted to the creations of borders in which the frontiers territories were lost. However, the creation of borders has resulted into certain benefits within the borders with regard to the interaction with other nation states. However, it has dismantled the order that existed before and hence has resulted to certain adverse impacts. The problems that have been created by the building of the nation states include; the problems of minorities, ethno-nationalism, sub-state nationalism, ethnicities and separatism (French, 2000). All these have resulted from the diversity in the territorial lands that were converted into the nation states. The root causes of all these problems are the increasing interaction between different communities that has increased the vulnerability of conflict. This can be described as globalization often termed as economic globalization which is the increase in the levels of interaction between individuals and other business entities. This has increased the way individuals access information, perform business, transfer information, competition and the general flow of capital in different economies. This has resulted into the positive impacts as well as the negative consequences. Globalization refers to the integration of regional economies, cultures and societies with regard to transportation, communication and trade. The concept also describes the changes that have taken place in the contemporary society with regard to the interaction and socialization process across the world. The society that has gone through this concept is therefore said to be globalized. While many scholars argue that globalization has resulted into the increased benefits, others have taken contrary opinion, stating that this has resulted into more bad than good. The latter school of argument asserts that globalizat ion has increased the possibility of the intra-national conflicts and the international conflicts while reducing intercultural contacts (Steger, 2009). In this context, it is evident that there is increasing concern and debate about the world peace and the international relations. This is because globalization and the creation of the borders have interfered by the territorial system and there is no longer secrecy or

Find a classroom accommodation for students who are at risk, another Research Paper

Find a classroom accommodation for students who are at risk, another for those with ADHD and 1 more for individuals who are Gifted and Talented - Research Paper Example They can keep track of their students’ learning with this attempt. An example of a classroom accommodation for an ADHD student is seating them close to the teacher and away from windows and doors. This is a valid accommodation because such students need their assistance and exceptional care of their teachers at all times, and; therefore, their educators should be there (Friend & Bursuck, 2006). An improvement that could be made is for instance letting the ADHD the student run an occasional errand for his/her educator. This can assist the hyperactive child burn off the unwanted energy. Finally, a common classroom accommodation for gifted or talented students is through grouping them together or with higher-level learners (Friend & Bursuck, 2006). However, I think that teachers should never group gifted learners with lower-level learners for remediation because, if so, then the student might start questioning his gift or talent. This classroom accommodation can be improved throu gh encouraging learners thoroughly to study concepts and support independent investigations or studies (Friend & Bursuck, 2006). From this research, I learned that many students have unique needs, and it is the work of the educator to travel around these needs and learn how the educationally deal with such

The learning journal entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The learning journal entry - Essay Example The definition provided for leadership was the act of influencing others toward a goal. During the session most of the students found leaders in their parents, professors or other tutors and coaches. Through this discussion I learnt that it was important for students to have real life leaders as we can gain immense knowledge from them and their experiences will help us learn several life lessons. In addition to this I also learnt the formula for performance which was equal to ability plus motivation. Both these elements were required in order to bring out our best performance both in academics and in life. In case ability is absent, any amount of motivation will not matter; however when someone has outstanding ability but is not sufficiently motivated then their performance is bound to be affected. In order to build our ability every individual requires an aptitude or interest towards a task, and a right amount of training and resources that will improve their ability in a given task. Along with the above constant motivation will increase their desire and commitment towards the task. Motivation will help to build desire and interest towards the work and lead to goal-directed behavior. In short, when people desire something and are sufficiently motivated towards achieving it, they would automatically take all the actions that would lead them to their goal and remain committed towards it. Furthermore there are four main factors that are required for motivation namely ability, resource, information and support. For the rest of my management class I intend to be more committed and perform to the best of my ability. For instance, I should work towards understanding the content in the textbooks rather than merely memorizing them. I have come to realize that the sole purpose of education is not about getting high grades; rather it is about gaining as much knowledge as we

Youth Culture Case Study & Play as the Childs Work Essay Example for Free

Youth Culture Case Study Play as the Childs Work Essay Almost every era has seen the emergence of youth sub-cultures specific to that time and place, socio-economic factors, geographical location and ideologies. Youth sub-culture could be said to be part of the way many young people connect to and take part in society. Most youth sub-cultures share common features such as distinctive dress styles, behaviours, music, appearance as well as shared interests and beliefs but the specifics of each youth sub-culture is unique to that group of individuals, for example the difference between Punks and New Romantics. Poverty in 1960’s Kingston, Jamaica saw the emergence of the youth street culture, â€Å"Rude Boys†. The name derives from a slang word for ‘wicked’ in Jamaica, used to describe the anti-social behaviour of the individual who identified with the sub-culture. The sub-culture was often associated with violence and delinquency that was present in the aftermath of independence and lack of employment opportunities for young people. Building discontent and bitterness led to hostility and fighting as a way of expression for the rude boys. Many youth sub-cultures according to Cohen (1955), â€Å"arise when people with similar problems get together to look for solutions† (Gallacher Kehily 2013). Within the sub-culture much of the music either promoted or rejected rude boy violence and so further sub-cultures became apparent. On the one hand some recording artists tried to persuade young people to be less aggressive, such as Stranger Cole’s 1962 â€Å"Ruff and Tough† where he sings â€Å"Don’t bite the hand that feed you† versus the 1967 recording â€Å"Tougher than Tough† by the Heptones which declared â€Å"rudies dont fear, tougher than tough, rougher than rough, strong like lion, we are iron†. Lyrically the songs reflected the social conscious of the times and motivated people to take action. Rude boys have distinctive stylised features such as their appearance, indicative of the significance of fashion. Suits, thin ties and hats (taken from the movie gangster image of the time) often based on a black and white two tone design, as shown in the illustration below. The style was seen as edgy with an emphasis on masculinity – appearance was important. The predominant musical influences of the sub-culture were a mix of big band and Mento, which was a fusion of African style music played in the West Indies. This gave way later to Ska and Rocksteady, which was based on a blended form of reggae, jazz and blues. A very rhythmic music with a steady â€Å"off† beat, the characteristic dance is one of stepping whilst keeping a straight back, rocking/punching arms side to side, the origins of which come from â€Å"Rudes† stabbing a rival. This way of dancing is referred to as â€Å"skanking†an immediately identifiable part of the sub-culture. â€Å"Rude† influenced British youth culture through immigration and in terms of music and fashion, but not so much the violence associated with its early origins. Young people adopted the music and fashion style of â€Å"Rude† boys and 1970’s Britain saw a â€Å"Rude† boy’s revival with the creation of bands such as â€Å"the specials† and â€Å"the beat†. The music and fashion became the primary focus for young people belonging to this exciting, upbeat sub culture. This youth sub-culture became known as â€Å"two-tone†, named after the integrated bi-racial youth that created it. The original â€Å"rudes† youth sub-culture was symbolic of the tormented, unemployed young population of Jamaica and its emergence in multicultural Britain as a dangerous and edgy, anti-mainstream movement made it extremely exciting to young people. As Wayne Hemmingway says in the Don Letts subculture series of documentaries, it was â€Å"everything British youth culture wanted to be† (Skinhead and Rude-boy Culture, 2012). The Rude Boy culture has contributed significantly overall to popular music culture and its historical impact been celebrated as such by the media. However, back in the 1960’s the media berated the youth culture because of its association with violence and anti-social behaviour. Realisation that ska music with its fast tempo and powerful lyrics had a part to play in the aggressive identity that â€Å"Rudies† adopted, so responsibility fell on the artists to influence a more peaceful approach to the culture and with a slower tempo and more anti-violent lyrics. Nicholas Stambuli 2011, points out â€Å"As much as ska had influenced these cultures, it also had the ability to change them†. The Rude boy culture was a community based on a common interest and a source of inspiration for the oppressed – this symbolism and historical meaning has been lost in subsequent years and whilst the culture does not exist in the format I have outlined above, the music, dancing, fashion of that culture is still relevant today.

Multibacillary Leprosy (MB) Case Study

Multibacillary Leprosy (MB) Case Study 1.0 Summary of scenario and potential consequences This case is based on a 32 year old female with multibacillary leprosy(MB). Leprosy, also known as Hansens disease, is a chronic infective disease caused by acid-fast, gram-positive Mycobacterium leprae (M.leprae). Several modes of transmission have been suggested such as skin contact and sexual activities but the primary mechanism is via air by mouth and nasal discharge of untreated infected people. Leprosy can be considered in two parts in which the first milder form involves infection of superficial tissues such as skin. This indeterminate state is usually surmounted by human body eliciting sufficient immune response, with approximately 95% people being not susceptible. Nevertheless, if the body produces too high or too low a response, the second more severe form develops and progresses leaving deformities in areas such as skin, nervous system, mucosa, limbs and eyes. Thus, depending on the patients immune response, leprosy is classified by the World Health Organization(WHO) into MB in which the bodys defense system is ineffective, and paucibacillary leprosy(PB) which produces aggressive response.1 In terms of skin smear tests, MB which has large number of bacteria in skin lesion would produce positive results while PB produces negative results. Another type of classification known as Ridley-Jopling classification divides leprosy into 5 stages; tuberculoid(TT), borderline tuberculoid(BT), midborderline/borderline(BB), borderline lepromatous(BL) and lepromatous(LL) leprosy in which the latter three are the equivalent of MB. In 2009, leprosy cases were reported in 121 countries.3 Based on WHO figures, the number of new cases detected in 2008 was 249007 while the registered prevalence of leprosy worldwide at the beginning of 2009 was 213036. Although there has been a steady fall in the number of new cases detected annually, leprosy remains a global threat. In terms of signs and symptoms, those possibly encountered are numbness, nasal discharge and various kinds of lesions, macules, nodules and papules. More severe symptoms may be diffuse skin thickening, eye lesions leading to cataract, secondary infection and nerve lesions. Although leprosy can affect all people, various specific factors predispose to leprosy. Firstly, leprosy typically affects people living in tropical and subtropical climate such as Africa and South East Asia. People in endemic areas as well as the poor and marginalized community are at greater risk of contracting leprosy. In terms of age, leprosy demonstrates an age-related pattern with peak incidence in children below 10 years old and mid thirties while rarely acquired by infants.2 Besides that, men are generally more susceptible than women and genetic factors may play a role too. Despite years of incubation period, the differential diagnosis of leprosy is vital because the treatment duration is prolonged. Also, an accurate diagnosis helps in determining the appropriate and effective treatment. In vitro culture of M.leprae is not feasible given the extremely slow growth rate. Methods that can be used include skin lesion biopsy and nasal smears done using Fites acid fast tissue staining which stains the bacilli red in a blue background or using Hematoxylin and eosin stain (HE) for histological confirmation.2,4 The number of bacilli visible will denote the type of leprosy. Additionally, phenolic glycopilid-1(PGL-1) characteristic of M.leprae can be distinguished using serology techniques. Given its low mortality rate, leprosy confers debilitating repercussions nevertheless both physiologically and psychologically. Leprosy causes hypoesthesia due to impaired peripheral nerve function, muscle weakness as well as glaucoma, iridocyclitis and inflammation of the eye. As a result, patients are prone to injuries due to diminished vision, and inability to feel and control the body. The incidence of ocular problems is markedly elevated and treatment has proved to reduce prevalence of these complications as described by Gupta et al, whereby 66.3% active leprosy patients manifested ocular problems compared to cured patients at 14.3%.5 If blindness occurs, the relative death risk in blind patients compared to non-blind patients augments by 4.8fold.6 Additionally, leprosy causes clawed fingers and toes, hypopigmented skin lesions with severe ulcerations especially on feet and hands, and facial deformations. These disabilities occurs more frequently in MB patients than in PB patients,5,7 and it was suggested that MB patients have higher risk of death compared to PB patients; the average death age being 5 years younger.8 Contrasting prevalence of deformities was concluded in different studies which includes 56.97%,7 82.4%,9 84.4%,10 67%11 and these differences may be the result of improper examination technique or dissimilar grading criteria. However, the point to note here is that all studies acknowledge the severity of this disease. Apart from imposing restrictions on physical mobility, such immensely conspicuous debilities have led to a stigma linked to leprosy. Leprosy patients are often subjected to public prejudice and discrimination, leaving them significantly affected both socially and economically. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and aggressive commencement of leprosy treatment is essential to improve patients quality of life and to decrease mortality rate. 2.0 Treatment options 2.1 First line therapy The current first line therapy include dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. Dapsone is a bacteriostatic antibacterial active against M.leprae. Its good oral bioavailability allows its administration in tablet form. However, dapsone monotherapy is no longer used as several studies have established profound drug resistance.12,13,14 Following this, WHO recommends the use of three drugs; dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine, administered as multiple drug therapy(MDT) for MB.1 Supporting this is a systemic evaluation by Kundu et al. which compared dapsone monotherapy to MDT and proved that MDT was significantly superior with capacity to prevent dapsone resistance.15 The current MDT dosing is dapsone 100mg and clofazimine 50mg daily self-administered, and rifampicin 600mg and clofazimine 300mg once monthly supervised. Several studies have shown that MDT is effective in eliminating leprosy with low relapse rates.16,17,18,19 For example, Georges et al. demonstrated that patients treated with MDT until bacterial clearance showed no validated relapses in the follow up period between 4 months to 5 years and 10 months.16 If adverse effects or contraindication occurs resulting in MDT termination, WHO recommends alternative regimen.20 However, it is vital to ascertain conclusively that the negative effects are due to MDT. Dapsone should be terminated immediately if patient develops adverse effects such as Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DHS), with rifampicin and clofazimine continued at usual dosages. The use of only rifampicin and clofazimine was proven effective for dapsone intolerant patients as described by Sapkota et al.21 These patients treated for a mean duration of 15 months post-dapsone cessation showed steady decrease in mean bacteriological index(BI). Next, if rifampicin is ill-tolerated, alternative therapy comprises clofazimine 50mg, ofloxacin 400mg and minocycline 100mg daily for six months, followed by clofazimine 50mg combined with either ofloxacin 400mg or minocycline 100mg for at least 18 months; given under supervision. Ji et al showed that ofloxacin eliminated 99.99% rifampicin-resistant cells after 22 doses in two months.22 Finally if clofazimine has poor acceptability, MDT can be replaced with ROM comprising rifampicin 600mg, ofloxacin 400mg and minocycline 100mg given monthly for 24 months. In a field trial in Senegal, patients on ROM showed satisfactory progress with exceptional compliance(>99%) possibly attributed to the simpler monthly dosage.23 This combination was further advocated by S. Ura24 and Villahermosa et al25 which compared 2 years ROM treatment with MDT. The studies concluded that both therapy depicted similar advantages regarding their effect on BI, their safety and tolerability. The latter study also showed no relapse after follow ups 5 years later or more. 2.2 Second line therapy Ofloxacin and pefloxacin are broad-spectrum flouroquinolones used as second line therapy for MB. They are bactericidal acting via inhibiting enzyme DNA gyrase required in DNA replication. Patented in 1982, ofloxacin has been reported to have profound effects on leprosy. A clinical trial executed by Ji et al showed killing of more than 99.99% of viable M.leprae in skin smears inoculated into mouse foot pad, with significant clinical improvements by day 56 of therapy utilizing 400mg ofloxacin daily.26 Also, its effect was not enhanced when combined with clofazimine and dapsone. A similar study by Jianping et al which also utilized mice footpad inoculated with leprosy patients skin biopsies had analogous findings, with no M.leprae growth detected.27 These studies supports the notion that ofloxacin possesses strong bactericidal activity. Comparing pefloxacin to ofloxacin, it was found that pefloxacin was less active, requiring 150mg/kg to exert bactericidal effect compared to 50mg/kg fo r ofloxacin.22 Although minimal side effects were encountered in these studies, the short duration of therapy will not vouch for this as severe adverse reactions have been reported including tendon damage, peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular toxicity and hepatotoxicity. Moving on, the broad spectrum minocycline is a tetracycline antibacterial which can be used in patients intolerant to dapsone or clofazimine.28 In a clinical trial by Fajardo et al, patients treated with 100mg daily minocycline for 6 months followed by WHO MDT manifested distinct clinical improvement within the first month with negative PGL-1 antigen at the end of 6 months treatment.29 However, it has been reported that minocycline induce hyperpigmentation which resulted in termination of therapy.30 This side effect ought to be considered particularly when minocycline is used to replace clofazimine. In terms of bactericidal activity, minocycline is considered more effective than clarithromycin, but significantly diminished activity compared to rifampicin. Next, clarithromycin is a bactericidal macrolide which suppresses bacterial growth by preventing its protein synthesis. A few clinical trials have shown the advantages of clarithromycin including its capability to kill M.leprae, considerable clinical improvement, patient acceptability and minor adverse effects.31,32 Daily dosage of 500mg revealed killing of 99% bacilli within 28 days and 99.9% by day 56.32 However, limited studies with clarithromycin for leprosy use have been done. Until further researches are carried out, clarithromycin remains the second line treatment for multibacillary leprosy. Since the past two decades, concerns over established dapsone resistance and increasingly emerging rifampicin resistance have set interest on use of either thioamide or clofazimine concurrently with rifampicin. However, clofazimine was chosen by WHO due to reports of hepatotoxicity when thioamides were used with rifampicin.33,34 Nevertheless, ethionamide and prothionamide are two thioamide drugs being investigated currently as monotherapy for leprosy treatment. Although mainly used for tuberculosis therapy, both drugs have been shown to exhibit significant anti-leprotic activity based on a clinical trial by Fajardo et al.35 Treatment was well tolerated for both drugs with a clinical progress of 74% and 83% respectively. Prothionamide was found to be superior to ethionamide and the overall efficacy of both drugs was similar to that of dapsone and clofazimine. However, they were less efficacious compared to rifampicin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, minocycline and clarithromycin. They are al so more expensive than dapsone. Consequently, thioamides are generally not recommended. Finally, rifampicin and Isoprodian comprising dapsone, prothionamide and isoniazid were used in Malta Leprosy Eradication Project(MLEP).36 During the 30-year project, the leprosy prevalence steadily declined with exceptionally low degree of relapse and toxicity. It was suggested that treatment with two Isoprodian tablets daily and 600mg rifampicin tablet completely eradicated leprosy from Malta. This may well set the baseline for leprosy treatment. However, Isoprodian being not readily available became a drawback in proceeding with this therapy. Also, the MLEP posed several limitations including the confinement of the project to a relatively small area which hinders its feasibility in larger areas. Additionally, the fact that leprosy was already declining in Malta before the project commenced in 1971 raised questions over the true effect of the therapy on leprosy elimination. 3.0 Treatment recommendation and supporting evidence After discussing the treatment options available, 24 months MDT is recommended for the 32 year old female patient in this case. This decision is made based on the evidences presented previously on efficacy of MDT and also the fact that not many reliable studies have been conducted on other alternatives. The clinical pharmacological principles of each MDT drug and more evidences will be presented in this section to justify the recommendation. Firstly, dapsone is an established anti-leprotic agent acting via preventing dihyrofolic acid formation thus inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis crucial for M.leprae development. In terms of adverse effects, dapsone has been associated with side effects such as methaemoglobinamia, haemolysis, allergic rhinitis, neurophaty, aganulocytosis and DHS consisting Type 1 reversal reaction and Type 2 erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction. However, at doses used for leprosy treatment, these side effects are uncommon.37 Besides, DHS can be ameliorated with corticosteroid therapy. In order to curb resistance against dapsone, it should be used concomitantly with rifampicin and clofazimine as MDT. Also, there has been evidence of significant decline in frequency and seriousness of Type 1 and 2 reactions in patients on MDT, possibly due to rapid arrest on leprosy progression and clofazimines anti-inflammatory action.20 Next, rifampicin is an antibacterial which plays a major role in inducing rapid M.leprae cell death by inhibiting RNA polymerase involved in protein synthesis. Rifampicin has good oral bioavailability as it is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. A monthly 600mg dose is highly bactericidal and is almost as effective as rifampicin given daily as subsequent doses do not augment killing rate proportionately. Thus although rifampicin is expensive, a monthly dose contributes to its cost-effectiveness, feasibility and compliance.20 The downside of rifampicin is that adverse effects such as hepatotoxicity have been reported thus requiring frequent liver function tests and blood tests to detect liver impairment. Other common side effects include gastrointestinal disturbances, fever, headache and rashes. Also, being a liver enzyme inducer, rifampicin upregulates cytochrome P450 resulting in enhanced metabolism of many concomitantly administered hepatic cleared drugs. However, th is effect is relatively minimal due to its once monthly dosing. Furthermore, though rifampicin increases dapsone clearance rate, no changes in dose have been necessary as concluded by Pieters et al.38 Interaction with clofazimine is also not likely as rifampicin lack tendency to accumulate in tissues due to its relatively short half life (2-3 hours) compared to clofazimine (70 days). The third drug used in MDT is clofazimine which based on the MDT dosage is the most well-tolerated amongst the three drugs and is practically non-toxic.39 It is a bacteriostatic antibacterial which has predilection towards mycobacterial DNA and inhibits bacterial growth. A mere 300mg loading dose once monthly may well serve as a repository to maintain sufficient drug in the body.20 However, the downside to its use is that some 75-100% patients encounter pink colouration of the skin, but this side effect is reversible months after stopping therapy.40 Given its efficacy yet without serious adverse effects as proven by various studies and clinical trials, it would be obvious to use clofazimine as part of MDT.41,42,43 In terms of duration of MDT, the recommended duration of MDT has been constantly. WHOs previous recommendation of 24 months therapy showed high efficacy with very low relapse rate. However, in the Seventh Expert Committee(1997), the duration of MDT was shortened to 12 months.1 A study conducted by Sales et al. showed that the decline in bacillary index and occurrence of adverse reactions was analogous for both 12 and 24 months MDT.44 However, this was opposed by US National Hansen Disease Program (NHDP) which stands firm with 24 months MDT with the perspective that more vigorous and longer treatment duration generates higher efficacy with lower relapse rate.28 It also mentioned that the 12 months MDT recommended by WHO was due to cost consideration in developing countries. Besides that, based on the BNF, treatment for at least 2 years is necessary for MB.37 The fundamental objective of leprosy therapy is determined by the relapse rate and degree of disability. Having said so, many studies have showed that the relapse rate after completion of MDT for 2 years yielded either zero or very low relapse rate.45,46,47,48,49,50 These studies are parallel to a long term follow-up by Shaw et al45 which proved zero relapse using this regimen and also by a retrospective analysis conducted in China by Shen et al47 which showed that out of 2374 patients followed up for a mean of 8.27 years, five patients had relapse resulting in a relapse rate of 0.21/1000 person-years. Another basis for the 24 months MDT was the review by WHO which revealed a very low relapse rate of 0.9/10 000 person-years in analysis of more than 20,000 MB patients.49 Furthermore, Katoch et al reported that follow-up conducted between 12-44 months after MDT treatment revealed deterioration in patients who received only 12-18 months treatment and continuous improvement in those giv en 24 months therapy.51 Thus, a 24 months MDT treatment would be the wise choice for this patient. Bearing in mind that this patient is a 32 year old female who is at her child bearing age, it is paramount to ascertain if she is pregnant or lactating. Extreme caution should be undertaken if she is pregnant or lactating, taking into account risks-benefits of leprosy treatment. Several studies have demonstrated adverse effects encountered by pregnant and lactating females such as relapse, type 1 and 2 dapsone reactions and peripheral neuropathy following therapy and are thought to be due to suppression of immunity during pregnancy and breast-feeding.52,53,54However, some studies have showed that these drugs can be used safely during pregnancy.20,55 Thus, although MDT may incur risks to pregnancy and exacerbate leprosy, a well-organized health plan, frequent and regular supervision may well outweigh the risk with its potential benefits.4,54 Also, effects of MDT on lactating is very minor. Although significant amount of dapsone is found in breast milk, its risks to infants are very m inimal. In contrast, the quantity of rifampicin in milk is too small to be harmful to the baby. Likewise, only minute amounts of clofazimine are excreted through breast milk and thus far there have not been reports on severe negative effects on breast-feeding except minor skin discolouration of infant. All in all, treatment using 24 months MDT has proven highly successful with rapid conversion of disease state from infectious to being non-infectious even after the first dose. MDT remains the ultimate option due to its apparent benefits of curing and stopping transmission of leprosy, its virtually zero relapse rate, minimal side effects, ease of administration and storage, cost-effectiveness and vast clinical evidences. Additionally, patient and public education is vital to aid patient compliance and improve understanding on leprosy. In this context, health professionals carry tremendous responsibilities in giving social support and psychological rehabilitation to help patients cope with the physical and mental distress caused by the disease as well as curing the stigma of leprosy.

Evaluation of theories and practices of Councelling

Evaluation of theories and practices of Councelling Discuss two approaches, evaluate their theory and practice. Which approach is your preference and why? Counselling has been defined by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP, 2009) as talking therapy, which involves a contractual arrangement between the therapist and the client where they meet, in privacy and confidence, to explore a difficulty or distress the client may be experiencing (p. 1). It works through the development of a therapeutic relationship whereby the counsellor actively and attentively listens to the client in order to gain insight and understanding into the difficulties the client is confronted with, from the clients perspective. Using different techniques, the counsellor can try to help the client to work through these difficulties, to understand them, and to solve them or accept them, depending on what the difficulties are. Importantly, counselling does not work by the provision of advice or direction; instead, the counsellor helps the client to gain mastery in directing their own lives. Counselling can be short-term or long-term, as well as individual or provided to families, couples, or organisations (Coren, 2001). Counselling techniques and methods will vary according to the approach or theoretical basis from which a counsellor works. Examples of different approaches to counselling include cognitive-behavioural therapy, solution-focused counselling, art therapy, person-centred counselling, psychodynamic counselling, and trauma therapy. A counsellor might adopt one approach within all of their work or take an eclectic approach whereby the theoretical framework adopted depends on the client (e.g. their age) or the problem (e.g. depression, phobia). The two counselling approaches discussed within this essay are person-centred counselling and cognitive-behavioural therapy. The theory underlying these approaches will be outlined, followed by examples of techniques used, and evidence of efficacy. Person-centred counselling, also known as client-centred or Rogerian counselling, is a humanistic approach to counselling founded by Carl Rogers in the 1950s (Rogers, 1951). The approach is based on the assumption that human beings are experts of themselves and that they have access to their own innate expert resources of self-understanding and self-direction. The role of the counsellor is thus to provide a facilitative environment and relationship for the client to find these resources within themselves. In order to provide this facilitative environment and relationship, the counsellor basis their interactions with the client on three key principles: 1) They are congruent (genuine) with the client, which can involve the counsellor showing their own human traits through appropriate and well-timed personal disclosure. This contrasts many other approaches to counselling, which tend to promote a more formal relationship between counsellor and client. 2) They provide unconditional positive regard, even if a client divulges something that the counsellor disagrees with; the counsellor remains accepting and caring of the client. Rogers believed this was important for clients to grow and reach their full potential. 3) They express  empathy (the ability to understand what the client is feeling) and  understanding towards the client. By providing empathy, the clients feelings are validated, which can be an important part of moving through and beyond those feelings. These three key principles demonstrate how the primary focus in person-centred counselling is the relationship between the counsellor and client. The person-centred counsellor seeks to establish a trusting relationship with the client in whom the client can gradually confront anxieties, confusion and other negative emotions. Central to person-centred counselling is the notion of self-concept, which refers to the perceptions and beliefs the client holds about themselves. The self-concept is influenced by an individuals experience of the world and comprises three components: Self-worth (self-esteem) thoughts about the self, which develop in early childhood and from experiences with parents or guardians. Self-image perceptions of the self, including body image, which can influence personality. Ideal self the self a person would like to be, including goals and ambitions. The  self-concept  is not necessarily consistent with how others view the client, as is the case in people with low self-esteem or conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder (characterised by perceived defects in physical appearance). Rogers based person-centred counselling the assumption that all human beings are seeking a positive self-concept (self-actualisation). It is this innate motivation towards self-fulfilment that is nurtured during person-centred counselling, with the emphasis again being on the clients own resources. Rogers has been criticised for having an overly optimistic view of human beings (Chantler, 2004), as well as focusing too much on a clients ideal self without considering whether this ideal self is realistic (Wilkins, 2003). However, despite this criticism, there is strong evidence supporting the efficacy of the person-centred approach, including a UK-based meta-analysis of scientific studies (Elliot and Freire, 2008). This meta-analysis demonstrated large pre- and post- changes in therapeutic outcomes that were maintained in the long-term. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) was founded in the 1960s by Aaron Beck when he observed that during counselling sessions, his clients tended to have an internal dialogue that was often negative and self-defeating. Furthermore, this internal dialogue was observed to influence behaviour. This led to the hypothesis that changing these internal dialogues would lead to changes in behaviour. Thus, CBT focuses on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes held by the client and how these relate to the clients behaviour or way of dealing with emotional problems. CBT takes a problem-solving approach to counselling, where the client and counsellor work collaboratively to understand problems and to develop strategies for tackling them. Clients are taught by counsellors, through guidance and modelling, a new set of skills that they can utilise when confronted with a particular problem. These skills are often focused on reframing negative self-talk in an effort to change ones interpretation of the problem. An event is not necessarily the problem, but more so the individuals interpretation of the event. CBT focuses on the present rather than the past, but does examine how self-defeating thinking patterns might have been formed in early childhood and the impact patterns of thinking might have on how the world is interpreted in the present, as an adult. These patterns of thinking can then be challenged by the counsellor and altered to fit the present. Taking a problem-solving approach means that CBT can offer effective outcomes in relatively short periods of time, most often 3-6 months. As an example, interpersonal psychotherapy for eating disorders has been found to take 8-12 weeks longer than CBT in order to achieve comparable outcomes (Agras et al., 2000). This is an obvious advantage the CBT approach has over other forms of counselling, making it a popular technique and the leading treatment for some mental health issues, such as bulimia (Wilson, Grilo, and Vitousek, 2007). The technique has even been incorporated into health interventions designed to assist overweight and obese individuals in losing weight (Wylie-Rosett et al., 2001) and to facilitate smoking cessation initiatives (Sussman, Ping, and Dent, 2006). CBT differs from other counselling approaches in that sessions have a structure, rather than the person talking freely about whatever comes to mind. At the beginning of counselling, the client meets the counsellor so that they can collaboratively set therapeutic goals to work towards. These goals then become the basis for planning the content of sessions as well as for assigning homework between sessions. The reason for having this structure is that it helps to use the therapeutic time efficiently and ensures that important information is not overlooked. Homework between sessions enables the client to practice and gain mastery in new skills with the opportunity to discuss any problems encountered in the next session. The counsellor takes a more active role at the beginning of counselling and as skills are mastered and the client grasps the principles they find helpful, the client is encouraged to take more responsibility for the content of sessions. The aim is that when the therapeut ic relationship comes to an end, the client is sufficiently empowered to continue working  independently. CBT also differs from other approaches in the nature of the relationship between counsellor and client. Some counselling approaches encourage the client to depend on the counsellor, as part of the treatment process, in an effort to build trust. CBT favours a more equal relationship that is more formal, problem-focused and practical. Such a relationship has been coined by Beck as collaborative empiricism, which emphasises the importance of client and counsellor working together to test out how the ideas behind CBT might apply to the clients individual circumstances (Beck, et al., 1979, Chap. 3). As demonstrated, patient-centred counselling and CBT are very different approaches to counselling, both in terms of structure and the role of the counsellor. In terms of preference, it could be argued that both are valuable, effective approaches to counselling. Evidence shows that they both work and thus preference would be better decided with consideration of the client and their individual needs. Whilst person-centred counselling might be preferable for a client with trust issues or who requires extensive examination of past trauma, CBT might be preferable for someone with an immediate problem or phobia to solve or someone whose problems are primarily governed by negative self-talk. Since CBT works with cognitions and behaviour and person-centred counselling works more with affect and emotion, their application needs to be based on individual context. Agras, W.S., et al., 2000. A multicentre comparison of cognitive behavioural therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimia nervosa. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, pp.459-466. Beck, A. T., et al., (1979).  Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press. British Association of Counselling Psychotherapy 2009. Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling Psychotherapy. Available from: http://www.bacp.co.uk [cited 09 January 2010]. Chantler, K., 2004. Double-edged sword: power and person-centred counselling. In Moodley, R., Lago, C., and Talahite, A. eds. Carl Rogers counsels a black client. Herefordshire: PCCS Books. Coren, A., 2001. Short- Term Psychotherapy: A Psychodynamic Approach. Palgrave Publishers Ltd. Elliott, R. and Freire, B., 2008. Person-Centred Experiential Therapies Are Highly Effective: Summary of the 2008 Meta-analysis. http://www.bapca.co.uk/uploads/files/Meta-Summary091708.doc. [cited 09 January 2011]. Rogers, Carl.,1951. Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable. Sussman, S., Sun, P., and Dent, C. W., 2006. A meta-analysis of teen cigarette smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 25(5), pp.549-557. Training and careers in counselling and psychotherapy (BACP) 2009. [online]. http://www.bacp.co.uk/admin/structure/files/pdf/811_t1.pdf [cited 09 January 2011]. Wilkins P.2003 Person-centred therapy in focus. London: SAGE publications Wilson, G.T., Grilo, C.M., and Vitousek, K.M. 2007. Psychological treatment of eating disorders. The  American Journal of Psychology, 62, pp.199-216. Wylie-Rosett., et al., 2001. Computerized weight loss intervention optimizes staff time. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 101, pp. 1155-1162.