Lessings Conception of a Universal Religion - 1115 Words

Lessing’s Nathan the Wise implies a conception of a universal religion of reason which is typical of the enlightenment period. Even though, Lessing does not dismiss existing religions in his work, I will argue that his humanistic religion conflicts with the idea of identity that is necessary to define one’s humanity. Thus, Lessing’s understanding of religion is not feasible since it overlooks the basis of religion. First, I will state that the play refocuses our intention on manhood and humanity. Next, I will explain how Lessing tries to reconcile religious beliefs with his humanistic religion through reason and tolerance. Finally, I will demonstrate how such a reconciliation is not practicable and how Lessing’s conception of a universal†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Lessing does not reject particular religions, but integrates them into a humanistic context. In his attempt to reconcile his conception of a universal religion of reason and particu lar religious beliefs, Lessing seems to discount the very nature of religion. On the one hand, he concedes that religion is rational since it plays a role in justifying human existence. On the other hand, he claims that personal beliefs must be put aside for a greater purpose which is humanity. Lessing’s commitment to a humanistic religion conflicts with the idea of a religious community. These two conceptions of religion lead to an alienation of humanity, since both claim to define what constitutes a human being. For Lessing, it is the reasonable investigation for truth that implies tolerance whereas for a particular religion it is the practice of certain rituals and the belonging to a given religious community that constitutes humanity. This conflict is observable in the current struggle between the Islamic world and the West. While one endorses the precepts of Islam as the main characteristics for one’s humanity, the other fends for secularism and tolerance. Not on ly does Lessing’s humanistic religion call for a redefinition of humanity which conflicts with those endorsed by religious communities, but it also fails to consider evil and history. In his optimistic vision, Lessing believes that God’s truth will one day be

Childhood Obesity Annotated Bib Free Essays

English 100/009 Annotated bibliography- Child Obesity in America Taras, H. , Potts-Datema, W. (2005) Obesity and student performance at school. We will write a custom essay sample on Childhood Obesity Annotated Bib or any similar topic only for you Order Now Journal of School Health, 75, 291-295. Retrieved October 4, 2005 from EBSCO (8) This Journal talks about obesity among school-aged children and academic outcomes. The authors reviewed published studies investigating obesity, school performance, and rates of student absenteeism. The book is recent (2005) so I feel that the information provided will still be the similar to today. I feel this is relevant to my research as it proves that obesity can cause problems in other important aspects of life. It also provides very satisfying facts that will back my research very well. Okie, Susan. Fed Up! : Winning the War against Childhood Obesity. Washington, D. C: Joseph Henry Press, 2005. Print. This book examines some of the factors contributing to childhood obesity, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, suburban sprawl, and TV, and provides advice on how parents can make positive changes. It primarily focuses on these issues within America. It covers a wide variety of topics with the main topic of obesity, which I think I will find beneficial to my research as all these factors contribute. Dalton, Sharron. Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Print. This book looks at what’s behind the statistics and diagnoses, and considers what can be done about the major health crisis threatening American children. Dalton begins with the basics: what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters. Integrating information from scientific and popular sources, she reviews current diet and exercise recommendations for healthy living, comparing these recommendations with everyday realities experienced by American families. I feel this book will be good for all general understanding as it starts basic and then gets more in depth. I believe this will contribute well to my research as it covers a wide basis and focus on main points that could be causing this epidemic i. e parents. Smith, J C. Understanding Childhood Obesity. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Internet resource. Dr. J Clinton Smith tries to cover nearly every field of obesity research. The book deals with methods of control, the body’s physical and chemical makeup, prevention strategies, new treatments and behavior modifications and future research. Again, this will be very beneficial to my research but even more so as it focuses a lot on the psychological side of obesity, where as the others and focusing more on the food itself and the contributing factors. Hills, Andrew P, Neil A. King, and Nuala M. Byrne. Children, Obesity and Exercise: Prevention, Treatment, and Management of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity. London: Routledge, 2007. Print. This book covers 3 major topics of obesity: the prevention, treatment and the management . Even though this not specifically for American children, I feel that it will still be beneficial as obesity is a global epidemic. I believe this will be a good aspect for my research as it covers how obesity in children can be prevented and I feel this is what America needs to know. How to cite Childhood Obesity Annotated Bib, Papers

Necessary Convergence Communication free essay sample

A Theory of Dyadic Social Interaction and Meanings Michelle Miller-Day In this paper, the author proposed and describes a theory of the social construction of meaning in dyadic communicative interaction. The author argues that necessary convergence communication is a theoretical framework useful for explaining how power may influence the process of meaning construction in interpersonal communication. This essay describes the features of this theoretical framework and provides theoretical suppositions for future empirical testing. Child:Mom, look at the blue package! Mother: Its not blue, its teal. Child:It looks like blue to me. Mother: Its not though. Its got green in it too, so its teal. Later that day Friend: Oh, thats a pretty package. The blue matches your shirt. Child:Its not blue, its teal. To many of us this scene is not unusual. Children often learn from elders what any given symbol means and once children learn these meanings they incorporate them into their cognitive schemata. According to Piagets (1972, 1954) theory of cognitive development, from approximately ages 4-7 children are in an intuitive phase where they can grasp logical concepts, but reality is not yet firm and is often dictated by authority figures. The role of authority figures to shape constructions of reality certainly does not end in childhood. Social constructionists such as Berger and Luckmann (1966) argue that individuals together produce a human environment, with the totality of its socio-cultural and psychological formations and understandings; social meanings are a human product (p. 52). It is not unusual, say, for an abusive romantic partner to convince his or her partner that the abuse is deserved or symbolic of care or even love. The dyadic construction of acts of abuse as signifying love or care may not e clearly understood by others outside the relational dyad, yet perceptions of abusive behavior as acts of love are common in abusive interpersonal relationships, along with sacrificing ones own interpretation of events so as not to lose the affection of the partner (Woods, 1999). In fact, in a recent episode of the popular television show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (Denoon Platt, 2004) a teenager was placed in foster care due to a mothers complete and utter dominance over the child, with the episode focu sing on the control the mother had over how her offspring interpreted the world around him. The psychologist in the episode did not have a name for this process of maternal domination, but compared the teenager to a puppet, merely appropriating his mothers interpretations of the world out of fear; the fear of losing her love, protection and their relational structure. Although this essay does not focus on children or abusive relationships specifically, it outlines a theory addressing the social construction of meanings in dyadic communicative interaction wherein there is disequilibrium between members in that process. Berger (2005), in his review of the interpersonal communication up until the 21st century, pointed out that very few interpersonal communication scholars have developed theories addressing this central tenet of communication meaning. His review argued that for the field to move forward interpersonal communication researchers should look more at interaction routines and the process of meaning-making between interactants. Around the same time as this review was being written, Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002) published an article in Communication Theory arguing for a similar need for research examining intersubjectivity, meaning, and interactivity in the area of family communication. They argued the following: a complete explication of family communication needs to consider both intersubjectivity and interactivity (Fitzpatrick Ritchie, 1993). Intersubjectivity refers to the sharing of cognitions among participants in a communication event, whereas interactivity refers to the degree to which the symbol creation and interpretation are linked. ,Interactivity refers to the way that a family maintains its own structure through patterns of family members responses to each others communicative acts (p. 73, Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002). Correspondingly, Miller-Day (2004) also presented a Necessary Convergence Communication (NCC) theory which focused on both intersubjectivity and interactivity in family member i nteractions, while addressing issues of power and dominance involved in the process of meaning-making between communicators. At this junction, in response to these calls for theoretical development in the area of meaning construction and dyadic social interaction in the fields of interpersonal and family communication, and building on the ideas introduced by Koerner and Fitzpatrick (2002), this essay will briefly review the original ideas of Miller-Days (2004) Necessary Convergence Communication (NCC) theory, elaborate on them, and then discuss how this framework might be a workable mid-range theory to assist communication scholars understand how the construct of power or dominance may influence the meaning construction process in interpersonal communication. A theory is a lens through which to examine human interaction and theories have four functionsdescription, explanation, prediction, and change (Griffin, 2000; Littlejohn Foss, 2005). The foundation of a theory is description and as Wood (2004) points out, before we can figure out how something works, we must describe it (p. 32). Therefore, the first task of building new theory is to describe its features. This essay provides a description of necessary convergence communication and identifies specific features that may be empirically tested. An Introduction to Necessary Convergence Communication Miller-Day (2004) argued that necessary convergence is a form of intersubjectivity that occurs during a pattern of interactivity when one communicator is dominant and the other submissive. When convergence of meaning occurs, meaning coordination tends to be coercive rather than cooperative with the dominant partners interpretive frame privileged over the submissive partners, leading to unequal contributions to the process of meaning coordination. Author Ayn Rand (1993) referred to this type of process in her novel The Fountainhead. Rand argued that some individuals tend to be â€Å"second-handers†Ã¢â‚¬â€people who don’t judge for themselves, who just repeat what others close to them say, embrace it, and make it their own. Miller-Days (2004) argument suggests that when the relational schema for the submissive partner is based on conditional regard—that is, she or he believes that acceptance in the relationship (e. g. , receipt of emotional resources) is contingent on meaning convergence; the submissive partner will converge with the dominant partners meanings for relational maintenance purposes. As discovered in Miller-Days family communication research (2004) and Miller (1995) and illustrated in the Law and Order episode mentioned earlier in this essay, not to converge with a dominant partners interpretation of symbols or events in any transaction would risk already precarious acceptance and approval in the relationship. An interpretive frame is defined here as cognitive structure that contains mental representations of meanings; the process of constructing meaning activates interpretive frames. Necessary infers that convergence is perceived as essential to achieving a certain result, and convergence indicates a tendency toward one point (Miller-Day, 2004). Thus, to obtain relational approval and avoid rejection, the submissive partner will accommodate the dominant partner by assimilating his or her interpretive frame. Within this model, convergence is relationally adaptive. This introduction to NCC as a theoretical framework offers an overview. But, to fully understand how this theory may be applied more generally to interpersonal relationships, I will elaborate on this theoretical framework, present the assumptions linked to it, describe its characteristics, and provide some theoretical statements for empirical testing. A-Priori Theoretical Assumptions Communication Is an Emergent, Creative Activity through Which Meanings are Coordinated Via Interpretive Schemata People approach the world through processes of interpretation. As human social animals we are in a constant state of interpreting and managing meanings, and interpreting meanings is an interdependent process. The assumption is that meanings are not inherent in objects, but instead arises out of social interaction. During social interaction, meanings are coordinated through interpretive schemata—mental structures consisting of organized knowledge about relationships. Interpretive schemata represent accumulated knowledge—the sum of past experiences—which help an individual interpret, understand, and predict the outcomes of interactions with others (Burleson, Metts, Kirch, 2000; Cragan Shields, 1998; Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002). Moreover, interpretive schemata include expectations about what should happen in a given situation and serve to guide behavior. Interpretive schemata specific to relationships—relationship schemata—influence the â€Å"encoding and decoding of information, the inferences and evaluations people make †¦ and ultimately their interpersonal behavior† in relationships (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002, p. 80). This assumption presumes that the process of â€Å"making meaning† activates interpretive frames. Communicators then coordinate their meaning systems as filtered through these frames and then negotiate agreement. Understanding between the members builds intersubjectivity and hopefully leads to consensus (Crotty, 1998; Solomon, Dillard, Anderson, 2002). Implicit in this assumption are claims of coordination and negotiation. Coordination implies a state of equal rank, equal power, and harmonious order, whereas negotiation suggests that communicators confer with one another in order to reach an agreement. Coordination involves collaboration of all communicating partners. Communication Enacts Relationships The state of being in a â€Å"relationship† is inherently a communication process and must be understood as a series of transactions in which messages are exchanged. Relationships are formed across repeated transactions, with each new transact adding new information to the one that came before, building a cumulative database of information about the relationship (Burleson et al. 2000; Duck, 1992; Guerrero, Anderson, Afifi, 2001). Transactions are units of interaction affecting both interactants and carrying commentary on the interactant’s relationship. As Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1967) pointed out, each message (both verbal and nonverbal) carries information at two levels—the content level and the relationship level. The relationship level enacts the current state of the relationship and provides information about how the communicators see each other, th emselves, and their relationship. Communicative Transactions in Close Personal Relationships Have Implications for Personal and Relational Identities Relational members encode and decode information about themselves as well as for their partner, extrapolating this information to the relational unit (Aron Aron, 1986). Within this framework, the self is conceptualized as inseparable from dynamic interaction, with each transaction contributing to both self- and relational knowledge. Early work by Mead (1934) identified the centrality of essage exchange in personal identity management. More recent work in relational communication points out that both personal and relational identities are cocreated communicatively within the context of relationship (Wilmot, 1995). Personal identity development is really the unfolding of the self while retaining relational ties; identities are constituted and managed through relationships, not to their exclusion (Adams Marshall, 1996). Relational Culture Shapes Interpretive/Relational S chemata Relational cultures consist of shared meaning systems, routinized patterns of interaction, and norms that structure members’ roles and behaviors (Wood, 2000). These cultural norms shape relational schemata (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002), and these schemata are socialized across the developmental trajectory of the relationship. Socialization involves the â€Å"social and communicative processes through which cultural knowledge, resources and practices are made available and internalized† by cultural members (Burleson et al. , 2000, p. 35). As Entman (1993) demonstrated, culture is the stock of commonly evoked interpretive schemata and culture might be defined as the â€Å"empirically demonstrable set of common interpretive frames exhibited in the discourse and thinking of most people in a relationship† (p. 53). Relational schemata are the mental structures that are socialized within a relational culture, organize knowledge about relationships, and are used to process information relevant to these relationships. Therefore, relational cultures will share common schemata and should be reflected in the communication practices of relational members. Interpersonal Scripts Emerge From Relational Schemata Scripts are one form of communication practice enacted within relationships that emerge from relational schemata (Koerner Fitzpatrick, 2002). Relational scripts direct interaction, exemplify relational work, and dictate normative ways of issuing directives and responses. Scripted interactions are often routine, habituated, and overlearned through repetitive practice in the family culture (Sillars, 1995); however, these scripts are useful in directing the â€Å"typical† ways in which an interaction should be handled given the particular relational schema. When relational members become practiced in these roles and memorize their lines, these enactments become scripted. That is, partners may not think about their day-to-day ways of interacting with each other on a conscious level, but they may still tend to communicate in patterned ways with well-defined scripts that enact â€Å"appropriate† relational behavior. These a-priori assumptions are implicit in the theoretical framework of NCC. In summary, they presuppose that relational culture shapes partners knowledge of relationships; each partners accumulated knowledge of relationships helps her or him to coordinate meanings; patterned or scripted communication behavior emerges from relationship schemata; and this communication behavior is consequential for interpersonal relationships. Characteristics of Necessary Convergence Communication Necessary convergence communication can be captured by describing its three separate characteristics, equilibrium, weighted proportion of meaningfulness, and motivation, and two process dimensions, degree and chronicity (Miller-Day, 2004). These characteristics are illustrated in Fig. 1 and can be assessed in terms of their valence and intensity in any given interpersonal relationship. [Insert Figure 1 about here] Equilibrium When necessary convergence occurs, there tends to be disequilibrium in the relational coordination of meanings. Equilibrium refers to an equality of distribution; however when disequilibrium occurs, there is unequal power to determine meanings in interpersonal interaction. Power is a person’s ability to control valuable resources and is often tied to status. Any type of power such as expert power, legitimate power, or coercive power is relevant to equilibrium as long as the person is in control of resources considered valuable. Control of resources provide the potential for the exercise of power in most relationships, with resources being all knowledge, skills, emotions, words, actions, and materials that are at the disposal of the person. Given the distribution of resources within any specific interpersonal relationship, power might be evaluated by its outcome, which is dominance. Dominance refers to the degree to which a person can influence and impose their will on the other; its counterterm, submission, refers to the degree to which a person gives up influence or yields to the wishes of the other. I think it is important to keep in mind that dominance itself is determined by the submissive response of others. Moreover, as Burgoon, Johnson, and Koch (1998) pointed out, â€Å"While power enables the display of dominance, and dominant behavior may solidify power—though correlated—dominance and power are not interchangeable concepts† (p. 10). According to Miller-Day (2004), when NCC occurs the relational member who has higher status or more power in the relationship (e. g. , parent, teacher, boss, or romantic partner) would be dominant in imposing, rather than cooperatively negotiating, meaning in the relationship. Moreover, as one person’s power to determine meanings increases, the other person’s decreases, this then leads to an unstable situation in which the importance of one partner’s interpretive frame outweighs the partner’s. Weighted Proportion of Meaningfulness The second characteristic of necessary convergence occurs when one partner submits to the unequal distribution in the power to construct meanings in interaction. Dominance requires submission. Consequently, when a lower-status partner submits, she or he affords the dominant partner’s meanings more weight—more significance—in the transaction. Developmentally, as most individuals begin to acquire personal authority they naturally become differentiated from parents and others in their life, even as they remain emotionally connected (Nadien Denmark, 1999). However, as adults form unique relational cultures, they will develop new connections with others. Some times these relationships are purely social and require accommodation of meanings for social management purposes; for example, in the classroom where a professor does not encourage critical thinking but mandates rote memorization and resists any challenge of information. In this case, students are required to accommodate the professors meanings into his or her own understanding (and repeat that on the exam! ). Anyone who has ever been in a classroom with one of these instructors may empathize with students placed in a setting where there is a low tolerance for differentiation in thinking among members. But the case of relational partners where one partner is dominant in most realms of the relationships and the other submissive, there is both a social and emotional connection between partners. In this case, the dominant partner will typically closely monitor any behaviors that signify the submissive partners movement toward differentiation (uniqueness outside the relationship), regardless if emotional ties remain undisturbed. If the less powerful partner resists the imposition of meaning and challenges her partners construction of meaning in the dyadic interaction, then necessary convergence communication has not occurred. It is the absence of resistance the convergencethat is a key feature of this kind of communication. According to NCC, the less powerful partner will be motivated to converge because he or she feels it is necessary. Motivation Motivation is a reason for action, an incentive. This theory argues that when there is a compelling reason for convergence, such as is to avoid undermining the relationship or to secure relational acceptance, there is increased motivation to converge with the higher-status partner. When acceptance in the relationship is perceived to be conditional on that convergence, then convergence is perceived as relationally adaptive and the lower-status partner is more likely to perceive convergence as necessary. Necessary convergence, then, might be viewed as a form of secondary control. According to Rosenberg (1990), â€Å"Secondary control is an attempt to accommodate to objective conditions in order to affect a more satisfying fit with those conditions† (p. 147). Although convergence tends not to be explicitly demanded, lower-status partners will perceive it as a condition for relational acceptance. Manipulation of resources in a relationship, such as support, regard, or inclusion, emerged as a significant contributor to asserting dominance in the family relationships observed by Miller-Day (2004). As a form of psychological control, higher-status family members offered and withheld these resources contingent on the convergence of the lower-status member. The manipulation of emotional resources, therefore, was used to assert psychological dominance with the provision or withdrawal of resources providing a compelling motivation for lower-status partner’s convergence. According to NCC, once convergence is perceived to be necessary, and one accommodates the dominant partners interpretive frame at the expense of ones own, two additional characteristics become important when assessing necessary convergence: degree and chronicity. Process Dimensions Degree. The relative intensity or amount of convergence in any given dyadic interaction is important to the process of NCC. The following illustration captures different degrees of convergence. Example: An adult woman and a friend are talking. The friend comments that she likes the womans new hairstyle, pulled up on her head with a hair clip. The woman comments that she likes the style too. Soon the adult womans mother walks into the room, looks at her adult daughter, and with a tone of disapproval says, What have you done to your hair? It looks awful† Under conditions of high convergence, the lower-status woman would change her hairstyle extensively as a result of her mother’s comment, converging with her mother’s interpretation that the style was indeed horrible and altering her original interpretation to â€Å"fit† more closely with her mother’s. If asked by another, she would explain that the hairstyle looked awful so she altered it. Under conditions of moderately high convergence, the lower-status woman would significantly change her hairstyle as a result of her mother’s comment, but just to please her mother or to reduce conflict. The lower-status woman would not alter her own interpretation to fit with her mother’s interpretation; she would merely accommodate the alternative interpretation. Under conditions of moderately low convergence, the lower-status woman might make minor alterations in the hairstyle to integrate both perceptions of what was attractive into one style. Finally, under conditions of low convergence, the lower-status woman might listen to her mother’s comment but keep the style anyway because she likes it. As Miller-Day (2004) comments, there are times when we all perceive that it is just easier, necessary, or politically astute to adjust our interpretations to others’ view of the world. However, when there is extensive accommodation and convergence, obliterating personal interpretative frames constitutive of self, this might negatively influence personal identity. Chronicity. Convergence may be chronic or the pattern of convergence may occur across time and contexts. When lower-status individuals experience repeated failures in negotiating meanings in transactions with a partner across time (e. . , across the life course) and contexts (e. g. , attitudes, values, behaviors), this may instill a generalized expectancy of learned helplessness and â€Å"giving in. † Miller-Days (2004) data revealed that women who chronically engaged in necessary convergence had an undefined sense of self and lower self-esteem than women who did not engage in convergence. When boundaries betwe en individuals blur in personal relationships, identities may become undefined and convergence communication becomes the modus operandi. Piagets (1972) theory of cognitive development points out that in normal development, both assimilation and accommodation processes are used simultaneously and alternately throughout life. Assimilation being the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures and accommodation being the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Necessary convergence communication offers an explanation for those interactions where accommodation becomes the primary means of making sense of the world. Theoretical Suppositions of Necessary Convergence Whereas theoretical assumptions are claims already supported in the research literature, suppositions are considered true or existing but not yet proved. Miller-Day (2004) provided the groundwork for this theory development and I seek to build on that by offering the following suppositions about NCC. I believe these suppositions may provide the necessary building blocks for theory development and offer future directions for empirical testing. Supposition #1 Interactants with more power (e. g. expert, legitimate, reward) in a dyadic social interaction will exert more influence in the construction of meaning than interactants with less power. Coordination of meaning involves power and control and according to this theory meanings can be hijacked. When both partners share moderate levels of power in the relationship, it would be predicted that they would enjoy the equilibrium and co-construction of meaningshared cognitions with a relativ ely high degree of match between symbol creation and interpretation. But most theories assume co-construction and equilibrium in sharing cognitions. According to NCC, we need to factor in power status of the interactants in the dyadic construction of meaning. Although studies exist that explore social stratification and power in terms of race, gender, and larger cultural hierarchies (see, e. g. , Altheide, 1995; Lyman, 1994), rarely do scholars explore interpersonal dominance and perceptions of status in their attempts to understand meaning construction. Supposition #2 Under conditions where there is disequilibrium—unequal power—in determining meanings in dyadic social interaction, both partners will afford the dominant partner’s meanings more significance. If one participant in the communication event is dominant in the dyad then it is predicted that connections between symbol and interpretations can be coerced, and the interpretations of the dominant partner are privileged in that communication event. Supposition #3 Converging with a higher-status partner’s assigned meanings will function to maintain the relational identity. The act of convergence is relationally adaptive. The act of convergence in any given interaction will serve to protect the entangled identity of the participants and function to maintain the relational status quo. Partners in dominant-submissive relationships will maintains their relational culture through this patterns of responding to each others communicative actsby one requiring convergence and the other converging. Supposition #4 Among submissive partners, necessary convergence communication will be positively related to an undifferentiated self. Relationships demonstrate varying degrees of tolerance for intimacy and autonomy through interactions. In differentiated relationships partners are provided with autonomy, while maintaining respect and intimacy. In undifferentiated relationships boundaries are regulated, with high demands for connectedness, and ultimately impeding individual identity (Skowron Schmitt, 2003; Skowron, 2005). Supposition #5 The manipulation of emotional resources by the dominant partner in relationship with an undifferentiated partner will positively predict necessary convergence communication. It is posited that a communication partner who encourages emotional and psychological dependence through the manipulation of emotional resources (e. g. , love, acceptance) will also coerce a high degree of convergence in the communicative interaction. Respectively, a communication partner who is undifferentiated and submits to the dominant partner will perceive that convergenceor a shared interpretationis necessary to maintain the relationship. Supposition #6 The more chronic and the greater the degree of convergence, the more likely the submissive partner will have a generalized expectancy of learned helplessness predicting increased risk for depression. The theory of learned helplessness (Seligman, 1975) offers a model to explain human depression in which apathy and submitting to more dominant others prevails, causing the person to fully rely on others. This can result when life experiences cause the individual to understand that their own cognitions are irrelevant. Summary This essay introduced necessary convergence communication as a theoretical framework to help explain how meanings can be hijacked by others in interpersonal relationships. Under certain conditions it is predicted that dominant members in interpersonal relationships may be able to control the coordination of meaning in the relationship, subverting the interpretations of the submissive communication partner. Outlining characteristics of NCC (equilibrium, weighted proportion of meaningfulness, and motivation), two process dimensions (degree and chronicity), and posing 6 testable suppositions about NCC, this essay argues that this mid-range theory may be useful in understanding intersubjectivity and interactivity in dyadic social interaction where one partner is dominant and the other submissive. Whether that partnership is interpersonal or relational, there are implications for this kind of communication in understanding interpersonal influence and possibly even mental health outcomes such as depression. Future Directions There are criteria by which theories are judged to be effective. According to Shaw and Costanzo (1970) and Wright (1998), the following criteria may be used for evaluating theories and future research should examine this theoretical framework to assess if it meets these criteria. First, there is explanatory power—do the suppositions of the NCC theoretical framework enable scholars to explain as much of the communication phenomenon as possible? Next, is the theoretical model parsimonious—does it contain as few suppositions as possible, is it as simple as it can be? Is NCC internally consistent, that is, do the suppositions contradict each other? Does NCC have heuristic potential; does it suggest hypotheses to be tested through additional research? Finally, does NCC promote new understanding and have societal value? This essay outlines the features of NCC and proposes suppositions for empirical testing. Future research should test these suppositions with the potential to falsify and/or delimit this theoretical framework.

Topic Paper 3 Essays (293 words) - Rape, Crimes Against Women

Skylar Rose Goodman October 25, 2018 Topic Paper #3 Death Penalty Reflection (Outline) Morality Defined as a doctrine or system of moral conduct. (Merriam-Webster.) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morality Constitutionality Retribution Irrevocable Mistakes Cost of Death vs. Life in Prison Race Closure for Victims' Families Attorney Quality Physicians at Execution Prior to reading the required novel "Dead Man Walking," my views of the death penalty were for the pracitce. In that, I had a very firm belief that should a life be taken, and the guilty party be convicted without any doubt whatsoever, that death would be an appropriate punishment. The only crimes that the death penalty should be allowed would be rape in the first degree and murder in the first degree. While reading "Dead Man Walking," I did find myself questioning my viewpoints in terms of the convicted felon's family and friends. Previously, the idea of those who knew the criminal and their feelings on the matter did not occur to me, and if they did, I often thought to the victim and their family. The reasoning behind this viewpoint was simply that if a life is taken that in turn whoever took that life should also die. In terms of rape and sexual assault, I believe and know that many victims, most, if not all, would feel a sense of security knowing that the person who attacked them can no longer be able to physically do so.

Adoption Rights for Gays and Lesbians essays

Adoption Rights for Gays and Lesbians essays Adoption Rights for Gays and Lesbians Just a few years ago, most children grew up in a traditional or nuclear family, which refers to the conjugal household consisting of a husband, a wife, and their dependent children, whose relationships are traditionally recognized by the American family law. Yet, in todays society, fewer and fewer American households are daresay traditional families. The constant societal changes have brought about the rise of alternative or nontraditional families, many of which include group living, unmarried cohabitation and single-parent families-all of which are mutually interdependent households, but not recognized as so by the American family law. As part of these alternative or nontraditional families, in the past decade we have begun to see a sharp rise in the number of lesbian and gay men forming their own families through adoption, foster care, artificial insemination and other means. So why are lesbians and gays still being repressed? Why are they being denied the right to adopt? Wh y is it that there are still countless states across the United States who however hold very stringent laws regarding lesbians, gays and adoption? Living in a society like the one we live in today, very healthily promotes diversity and acceptance, yet, unjustly contradicts itself and sanctions the same advocacy material-but, contrary to popular belief and assumptions, gays and lesbians can be equally as good at parenting as heterosexuals. Through the chaos of myths and stereotypes, gays have come a long way at battling a society that can at times be cruel, insensitive and intolerant. Amongst the myths and stereotypes is the present notion that lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents. Yet, in looking at and evaluating all of the research to date, the same unequivocal conclusion about gay parenting has been reached, th...

An Examination Of The Financial Challenges Faced By Students At The Ivy League School

An Examination Of The Financial Challenges Faced By Students At The Ivy League School Over thirty thousand people applied to Brown university this year, and only about twenty-six hundred made it in. Thats about an eight percent acceptance rate for all the poor saps who applied to that ivy league school. But they why do they need that schools name on their diploma so badly? These people are just out of school and shooting for the stars with their big dreams, but maybe a local university or even a technical college is more the speed some of these people need. Ivy League schools are ranked better, but are not better than other schools because: they are not financially accommodating, they are very stressful, and under the rug embarrassing. Financially, Ivy League schools may not be the best for someone who doesn’t come from money. Two thirds of the people accepted into ivy league schools this year of 2015 applied for financial aid. that does not mean they all acquired it, or even a reasonable amount that they may need, but they took the extra effort because they dont believe they can take on the financial burden. all of the applications for scholarships and grants that they applied for cannot cover their costs of living. Next year, tuition will rise an average of 3.76 percent at the Ivies—pushing the cost of attendance as high as $63,000 (Akane Otani). Students need about as much money for living than they do for basic tutions at a tech school. Spending money they dont have on: food, clothes, personal items (hair products, toiletries, cell phones, etc.). Thats not including if anything were to get stolen, such as textbooks or computers or anything from their dorm rooms. Theres too much to pay for financia lly with these schools for most of these kids to be attending it. seventeen percent of students who attend ivy league schools are the first of their families to attend school (Ivy Coach). that number triples for those who attend a technical college, so imagine the new burden that they have on their shoulders. not only are they the first to go to school, they are going to a big, brand name one. Stress on an ivy league college student can get so great that it leads to life changing decisions. â€Å"The stresses that comes with academia including pressure to get good grades, financial worries, failed relationships and conflicts with roommates are enough to force some students to leave college or worse. In fact, depression is the number one reason students drop out of school or die by suicide.† ( Pakistan Observer) .It can cause a person to feel a lack of self worth when trying to keep up with other students because they dont believe that they are doing as good as the others, or that they dont get the information as well as everyone else may be comprehending it. what they dont realize is that, most of the time, they all feel this way about each other. this type of emotional stress can lead to them ‘giving up and giving in’ to the pressures around them such as skipping class, slacking off, and dropping out. Embarrassing, not a work commonly used for Ivy League schools, but it’s still one to represent it. They underestimate themselves and develop a feeling of ‘checking your privilege’ (Rega Jha) which people who attend these schools shouldnt do because they are paying so much to attend these schools so they should have gloating rights. this feeling causes them to not want to stand out in the crowd and when everyone is busy trying to convince them how great it is and how well theyre doing, the person who didnt want any attention in the first place, now seems to everyone like thats all they wanted. Then these people who feel inferior to be in an ivy’s presence, expects these students to be geniuses on everything. They are bombarded with ridiculous questions that they never have or will cover in their classes because people expect so much and then are seen as dumb because they dont know the answer and are paying out the butt to have a better education, when in rea lity they could have gotten the same degree and education for a university in their state. It’s embarrassing to be just as smart as they guy at a university when theyre going to an ivy league school to get the exact same degree as the guy next to them. Yes, these schools are viewed as big names for a reason. they are prestige and only have the best of the best. Why is it then that these degrees mean so much more than one someone obtained from a university? because of the name. With so many years to build up the buildings and time to really make it better, how could anything compete? these schools are may even only be seen so greatly because they reject so many. With these schools not even having some of the programs people would need to become what they want most, why wouldnt they work to â€Å"Find the university program that loves you for you, the school that matches your values and specializes in the fields that you are passionate about† (Montesano, Mandell). as a student who goes to a technical college i can never give personal insight to someone who does actually go to an ivy league school. im a realist, so im not one to ever really fantasize or shoot for the stars when my rocket is made of cardboard. Though i admire the ones who shoot for those stars, i think they are crazy and dumb. i hope this paper has shown why my light shines on that idea of ivy league students through the financial struggles, the stress it comes with, and the silent embarrassment.

REFLECTION ON PLACEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

REFLECTION ON PLACEMENT - Essay Example The quest for learning of the nursing professionals so that they can develop themselves and work better in partnership with different concerned parties can be described with the Gibbs Model of Reflection. The Gibbs Model of Reflection has six different factors namely description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. The initial stage of description is about understanding what exactly has happened. In the second stage, the understanding and getting grip of the situation would help the nursing professional to know the feeling about the latest experience. The third stage is about evaluating the latest development i.e. if the experience has been good or not. In the next step, the professional analyse the situation. The subsequent step of conclusion verifies if there was any other alternative that could been opted by the nursing professional. The last step is about learning of the situation and to decide the course of action if similar situation arise again (University of Brighton. n.d). There is almost no doubt that the Gibbs model of reflection would help the nursing professionals to evaluate and learn from the latest of his experience and try and achieve the desired professional and personal growth. It would prepare him for the future. The model of Gibbs also enables the professional to work better in partnership with the doctors, the families i.e. the clients and also with the colleagues for the betterment of the patients. It assists the professional to improve the quality of the much needed care to the patients as also it narrows down the gap between theory and

Performance Management and Employee Relations Essay

Performance Management and Employee Relations - Essay Example Like ISO 9001:2000, its intention is not to be regulatory in content but it advocates the advantages from officially defined processes producing data and metrics which drive constant improvement. The goal of both models is to encourage comprehension and maturity, where the organisation monitors its execution in a continuous cycle to better its services and products. Both models are similar in intent and in representing best practice; however there are disparities particularly in the formal evaluation process. ISO 9001 certified companies should meet the requirements of the standard and persist on doing so by undertaking routine surveillance, so as to guarantee that the results of the initial assessment stay valid. In contrast, the SEI characteristically requires just a one-off assessment in order to corroborate an organisation's maturity rating contending that once a company has sustained improvement entrenched within its culture then it shall continue to do so. On the other hand, CSC had become familiar to the benefits offered by its regular LRQA visits and feels that comparable benefits could be present through regular checks against the CMM. LRQA has offered its routine ISO surveillance activity to include the concern of the SEI CMM model criteria. The LRQA evaluator who is trained in the CMM model consequently takes this into account while looking at the every visit and references his findings within the evaluation report. 3. Public-Private PartnershipA Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a contract between a public agency (local, state or federal) and a private sector body. Through this agreement, the assets and skills of each sector (private and public) are shared in bring a service for the use of the common public. Concomitant to the sharing of resources, all party shares in the rewards and risks possibility in the delivery of the service or facility. The PPP form is a comprehensive form that is used by LRQA in approaching the evaluation. This form covers important aspects like Goal Setting; Performance Review; Training and Development Plan; Career Development and Progression; and a Summary that includes the manager's comments on overall performance review. 4. LRQA appraisal method - CMM model Since 2003, LRQA has been deploying the CMM model during its regular ISO 9001 inspection visits for CSC. This has seen LRQA adjusting its characteristic audit

Fundamental Principles of Hci Essay Example for Free

Fundamental Principles of Hci Essay M2 part Considering your work for Task 2 e or f, indicate how some of the fundamental principles of HCI have been applied and how the specific need has been met. In this part of the assignment I will be reflecting on the specialist input (e) design I have designed. I have designed a keyboard which has Braille keys, for the purpose of the people who are blind, as this keyboard will be an advantage for the blind which means that they will not be isolated just because they are blind, but in fact using this keyboard the blind can continue their daily lives like others going to work and schools etc. One of the Fundamental principles of HCI is that the user has ease of use, and I have applied this principle in my design allows people to type on the keyboard with ease. I have also covered the perception principle which covers, colour, pattern and the layout of objects. I have applied this principle in my design as I have layed out the keys spaciously which allows the user to hit the key which they wish to easily. And by making the design in this pattern and layout the user can easily recognise the Braille keys. P5 Briefly describe how each of the input and output HCI that you have created meet the specifications provided. Input using interactive mouse I have designed a news tablet reader which has the special feature of touch screen, which allows the user to scroll through the page. The specification requires an input that has to be through a mouse/keyboard/monitor. I have met this specification by designing a news tablet which usually has a mouse connected to the tablet, but the one I have created served this purpose by just scrolling on the screen of the tablet. Output to a printer I have designed a printer which has a touch pad button on the printer, and this can be used if the user decides to make a certain number of copies. The specification is met as I have designed an output which serves the purpose of processing documents out, and also has the feature of a touchpad which allows the user to manually alter the number of copies they wish to make. There are also hard buttons which can be used in case the touch pad stops working. Input using a different input device from a mouse I have designed a gaming steering wheel which can be used to install into a gaming console such as play station 3, and be used as an input. The specification has been met as I have designed a steering wheel which has an additional feature of a biometric scan of every user. Which means that every time a user which to save their game progress they just need to place the thumb print on the scanner and the game will automatically save the data of the person whose thumb scan it is, and every user will need to insert the details before playing on the steering wheel so that the steering wheel can save to that persons file. Output to something other than a printer or monitor I have designed an interactive white board which has a solar power pad connected to it, which means that it uses solar power in order to run. The specification has been met as I have designed an output which is an interactive whiteboard with an additional feature that has a solar pad connected to it, which saves electricity cost for the user. Input for a specialist need I have designed a keyboard with an additional feature that allows the blind people to type using this keyboard. I have met the specifications for this design as I have designed an input which serves a specialist need for the blind people with a brail keyboard, it also has a MIC fitted with the keyboard which allows the user to speak into the MIC and the computer then interprets the words and types up into the document. Output for a specialist need I have designed a TV and speaker which is voice activated and used for disabled people. I have met the specifications of the design as I have designed a TV and speaker which allows the disabled to remotely command the TV, for example ON would mean the TV to turn on etc. This would allow the dibbled user to sit where they are and command the TV without having to move. M3 Describe how effectiveness of HCI may be measured Usually the effectiveness of HCI can be measured when you carry out tests such as ? Speed of interaction ?Number of errors from actions ?Ease of understanding by the user The effectiveness of HCI can be measured by doing tests that looks at the speed of interaction between the user and the HCI, it measures the how long the response is after the user makes a move on the HCI, and if the speed of interaction is very high then that piece of HCI will be known as very effective, this is because the HCI will allow you to move around the computer easily and quickly without much trouble. The effectiveness of HCI can also be measured by doing tests on that HCI to see how much errors it has, and after doing tests if the results show that it has a lot of errors then that HCI will not be a very effective. This is because a lot of errors on a HCI can make the user slow down when interacting with the HCI, but if there are not that much errors then it can be known as an effective HCI, because the user can use it effectively without having to troubleshoot. The effectiveness of HCI can be measured by the understanding of the user and to what extent the user has the knowledge and understanding of the HCI. If it seems as though that the user does not have the understanding of the HCI then the conclusion would be that the HCI is not very effective. But if the user is understanding the HCI and can easily interact with the HCI then the HCI is effective as the user can use the HCI without any issues D2 Compare the HCI you have developed with those commercially produced for similar products, indicating the good and less good features of each and any improvements which could be made. I have designed six HCI’s to suit the purpose of those users who interact with computers, and now I will compare my HCI’s with real HCI’ which are produced commercially and determine the advantages of my HCI and disadvantages of each and every HCI. My first design is a news tablet reader, where the user is able to read all the newspaper digitally. Those news tablet that are produced commercially are the standard designs which have very less features, those commercially produced are updated daily with the news from all the newspapers. The advantages of my HCI: ?Speakers that allow the user to listen to the news if they want, although the news can be heard via the speakers. ?Compared to the commercially produced news tablets my HCI has a keyboard which can be accessed from the tablet, this allows the user to visit other news sites that are not listed on the tablet as default sites. ?It allows the user to interact with the HCI using a mouse which is connected to the keyboard in case the touch screen does not work. The disadvantages of my HCI: The keyboard is not safe to use as this could damage the keyboard, because the news tablet is designed to be used whilst on the move but having all these extra features of using the keyboard at the bottom could break or snap. ?Instead of having a built mouse to move around the tablet, it would be better if there was a slot to let the user insert a mouse externally. The second design is a printer that a touchpad which allows the user to manually type in the number of copies of a document the user would like. So for instance if the user sent a document to the printer and then realised that the user needs more than one copy then simply just add more copies. The advantages of my HCI: ?The design of the touchpad is such that any age any user can easily use the touchpad, as the touchpad is labelled with easy text. ?If under any circumstances the touchpad does not work then the user can access the printer with alternative buttons. The disadvantages of my HCI: My HCI does not have many features that other Printers may have. ?I could have designed a printer with a built in photocopier or scanner. The third design is a gaming steering wheel, which compared to the commercially produced ones is a lot better as my HCI gives more features to interact with the user. The advantages of my HCI: Built in bio metric scanner saves game data to the user’s profile. These are done by the users creating their own profile and assign their finger print on their profile. ?In case the steering wheel malfunctions then there are buttons that can be used to manually play the game. There are built in speakers that let the user listen to the game play.

Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essays -- Compare Contrast Comparin

Sending your child/children to school is a decision every parent/family has to make. Choosing where to send your child is a different story though. No matter where you live, there is always a public school in the area that your child can attend and you have no annual fee. Public schools are paid for with taxes that every citizen has to pay. Private schools on the other hand have an annual fee that can range up to around $20,000 per year. Paying for private schooling is almost like paying for college tuition. Some parents prefer public schools because of the children’s freedom while on the other hand some prefer private schooling because of the curriculum and religion learned. Sometimes parents change their mind about where they want their child to attend based on many different reasons. Switching from either Private to Public or vise versa is very common, especially when a parent feels there child can do better or needs to be challenged more. The switch can either be to benefit the child to learn at there best ability or to punish a child. The following is about how private school and how public schools have their pros and cons and also how the switches from either private to public or vise versa can either benefit a child or how it can destroy them. Public schooling is offered around the country and does not cost anything to go to school and just simply learn. The majority of schools are public schoolings because the majority of children in the United States attend public schooling for many different reasons. A public school will obtain a more diverse environment than let’s say a private school or even the thought of being home schooled. In private schools, most of the inferior groups such as African Americans are... ...I feel that the best thing for a child is to be at a school that they enjoy. I think that a child is better off staying in the schooling environment they started off at. In conclusion, I am neither for nor against either private schooling or public schooling. I think that both have their benefits and both have their downfalls. I do not think that private schools should cost so much because it takes away from the diversity in the school system. Without diversity in private schools, children will never learn about it or be aware of it until they are out of school. From what I have read, a lot of people have bias opinions on both topics and they are all wonderful points. Now you can read the facts and observe what is better, private or public schooling and the effect is has on children when you start them off with one system and switch them to another.

Ethical Lens Essay

Ethical Lens Inventory Results for DESIREE Your preferred lens is: Rights and Responsibility Lens You use your reasoning skills (rationality) to determine your duties as well as the universal rules that each person should follow (autonomy). Your Core Values: Autonomy and Rationality You prioritize the value of autonomy over equality. Your primary concern is protecting individual rights. You believe this is the best way to assure that everyone in the community is treated fairly. You prioritize the value of rationality over sensibility. You believe universal rules exist that apply equally to everyone and that the best results are achieved through consistent application of the universal rules. Your Classical Values: Temperance You value individual balance and restraint in the desire for pleasure as you seek to satisfy your duties. You also know who you are, so you can act with integrity in the exercise of all the virtues. Your Key Phrase: â€Å"I am responsible.† Because you value autonomy and rationality, you tend to assume that your own definitions of what a responsible person should do apply to everyone. Your Definition of ethical behavior: Fulfilling duties You define an ethical person as one who fulfills their duties and does the right thing as an autonomous, fully-responsible adult. For you, this is the fullest expression of fairness and justice. Your Tools for analyzing problems: Reason Using your critical thinking skills is your preferred method for learning and problem-solving. You tend to think through a problem carefully and research options to find the one that will allow you to fulfill your duties. You focus on gathering and analyzing all the available data so you can make a fully informed decision. Your Gift: Self-knowledge Because you are concerned with figuring out your duties, when you are at your best you know yourself – you know both what you are doing and why. Because of this, when you say that you will do something or care for someone, you follow through. You are also able to live in the present, to determine what you need to do at any given moment to fulfill your responsibilities. Your Blind spot: Belief that motive justifies method Because you are so clear about your reasons for acting, you tend to believe that the motive justifies the method. You may unintentionally cause people upset and pain because you are so focused on your good motive. You tend to believe that ethics is a set of universal rules that everyone must follow, just as you do. You follow the rules – everyone should. Your Risk: Being autocratic (bossy) Without self-knowledge, you run the risk of becoming autocratic. You require everyone to do things your way in order to measure up ethically. You tend not to consider other interpretations of the facts or listen to other approaches once you have made up your mind. Your Temptation: Excuses If you are not paying attention, you can be tempted to excuse yourself from following the rules. You insist that you really are being true to your core values, even when you are not. You’ll convince yourself that the rules were meant for other people or that the action you want to take really does meet your responsibilities – even though your â€Å"Responsible Self† tells you otherwise. Your Vice: Becoming judgmental and legalistic Without self-knowledge, you can become overly rigid in your expectations, leading to legalism as you obsess over minute details. You will also become judgmental and when others do not fulfill (what you believe are) their duties, you will be quick to label them as unethical. Your Crisis: Becoming exhausted Unless you develop the practice of mindfulness and reflection, at some point you will become exhausted. No one can meet all of the obligations that your â€Å"Responsible Self† has on your to-do list. If you have few friends, it could be because you are so judgmental that you drive everyone away. Your Seeing Clearly: Listen to your heart To see more clearly, check to see whether your intuition, your heart, agrees with your head. To find balance, explore the gifts of the other lenses – flexibility and a concern for the whole community. As you consider what your duty is, remember that others may see the situation differently or need different supports to fulfill their duties. Also remember to think about the impact of a decision on the whole community. Sometimes an individual actually benefits by restraining autonomy for the good of the community. As you learn to consider the perspectives of others in your decision making process, you will live out the best of your ideals with compassion and care for others.

Infection Control Essay on Hand Hygiene

IntroductionHealthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) can be extremely detrimental in health and social care settings where patients highly susceptible to disease. These are infections which the patient acquires during or after healthcare has been received which can be dangerous as contracting an infection whilst receiving healthcare from an unrelated problem could have a deteriorating effect on the patient in comparison to a healthy individual’s reaction.Patients in hospital and other healthcare settings have increased vulnerability so consequently are easily receptive to pathogens due to examples such as reduced immunity or open wounds. Therefore the appropriate precautions and procedures must be set in place to ensure cross-infection cannot occur. It is crucial for health professionals to understand how infection spread so that they can consider and act upon the significant implications which are risked when improper measures are not followed hence why the knowledge of the c hain of infection should be learnt.Infection control is high on the agenda for healthcare providers because of its significance as it safeguards staff, patients and the public, promotes safe environments and practice but also indicates the quality of healthcare given. It is imperative to focus on legislation which applies to the National Heath Service like the NHS Constitution and the Nursing and Midwifery Council code of conduct. Communication, competence and care of the six C’s can all be factored into how infection control is dealt with in the NHS.One of the most common practices to lessen the risk of cross-infection is hand hygiene which has reduced overall infection rates in hospitals. (Bennett, Jarvis and Brachman 2007) Identify your new learning, giving rationale for your choice of this topic The chain of infection should be learnt in order to apply the appropriate infection prevention methods at each point. The process simplifies how microorganisims spread and infecti on occurs. Microorganisims are named the â€Å"infectious agent† as they are able to produce infection in the body, they are always present but may be concentrated in some areas which are called â€Å"reservoirs†.Reservoirs for possible infectious agents can be environments or people which can be transferred from one area to the next. The transmission of microorganisims from a person through exhaling or other bodily functions is labelled the â€Å"portal of exit†; the microorganisims are then able to be transmitted into a patient via contact, air, blood, meals or liquids. The â€Å"portal of entry† describes the susceptible area to which microorganisims can be introduced into the patient, such as by mouth, urinary tract or an aperture in the skin. (Brooker and Nicol, 2011)Between  the portal of exit and the portal of entry there is potential for cross-contamination and this is where the need for hand hygiene arises.  ­Ã‚ ­ Adequate hand hygiene by nur ses lessen this risk of healthcare acquired infections as evidence shows that developing and bettering the technique that healthcare workers use to clean their hands contributes to the reduction of HCAIs that occur (Pratt et al, 2007). Damani (1997) suggested that the most prevalent cause of cross-infection was transmission pathogens from one patient to another by pathogens occupying the hands of healthcare workers.Contaminated hands easily transmit these microorganisms but so by cleaning hands appropriately hospitals can prevent (to an extent) harm to patients which is a fundamental concept in healthcare. (Pittel et al, 2000) This raises the importance for nurses to learn a technique which will clean the hands physically and of invisible microorganisims as nurse’s interactions towards patients account for roughly 80 percent of direct care patients receive.  (Storr and Clayton-kent, 2004)There are many documents on the different techniques of hand washing and when to do suc h techniques like the World Health Organisation’s five moments for hand hygiene (2006). WHO recommends that hands should be washed before coming into contact with the patient and before aseptic tasks to protect the patient against germs occupying the healthcare worker’s hands as well as immediately after an exposure risk to body fluids, after contact with the patient and their surroundings to protect yourself from pathogens exposed whilst carrying out these tasks.This applies to the NMC’s code of professional conduct (2004) which states that a nurse must â€Å"act to identify and minimise risk to patients and clients†. This values the results of hand hygiene by identifying when to clean hands from the WHO’s five moments of hand hygiene and to use the endorsed hand hygiene technique of the trust to minimise risk to the patient. The hand washing procedure originally outlined by Ayliffe et al (1978) has been adapted by many organisations to provide va rious routines.Hands were wet by a running tap and antiseptic detergents or liquid soap (5ml was poured onto the hands, the technique consisted of five backwards and forwards strokes in the motion of; palm to palm, each palm over the other hand’s back, interlocking palm to palm, each palm over the other hand’s back interlocked and then the rotational scrubbing of the fingers into each palm finalised by the rubbing of the wrists during a 30-second time span. Then the hands were rinsed with water for 15-seconds and dried with two paper towels for 15-seconds.  (Ayliffe et all, 1978)Whilst this technique has strict timescales the WHO elects the timescale of roughly the time taken to sing â€Å"Happy Birthday† twice. This raises concerns over the approximates as this will differ from person to person. The procedure itself remains nearly exact except from the addition of turning the tap off with a towel to avoid recontamination and the exact timings are lost. This t echnique only stated to use running water, however no temperature was specified.Hand Washing for Life (200-) advises that water should not be above 110?F as this temperature would cause hands become damaged by loosing delicate tissues on the skin. This can cause bacteria to become trapped and more difficult to remove, as well as cause pain to the worker. It is a legal requirement for health professions to take the necessary measures to ensure that they protect themselves, which includes their hands and others around them by taking care of their hands.(Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) Dougherty and Lister (2010) give a comprehensive guide to effective hand washing, stating the minimum time to rub lathered hand together is 10-15 seconds. The guide recommended that attention should be given to areas which are missed most frequently like between fingers, tips of fingers and thumbs. Single use towels to dry hands were used in all techniques. Damani (2011) suggests that paper towels sh ould be used and also used to turn off taps if hands-free control is not available.An experiment carried out by Redway and Fawdar of the University of Westminster backed up Damani (2011) suggestion as drying hands with a paper towel decreased the amount of bacteria compared to jet-air dryers and warm-air dryers which caused an increase. Given that the WHO technique has been used throughout the NHS by National Patient Safety Agency for hand cleaning techniques this would be a reliable technique to follow whilst also taking into consideration the detail given by Dougherty and Lister.How has this learning made a difference to you Being aware of how many infectious opportunistic pathogens can be exposed to patients, which may lay dormant on healthcare workers hands, gives healthcare workers a better understanding of how to assess the risks of when passing infection can occur by referring to the chain of infection. The chain of infection makes nurses more aware of patients as susceptible hosts.It is everyone’s responsibility to take appropriate considerations to the prevention and control of infection; this would include all healthcare professionals, the patients themselves and the visitors. (Randle, Coffey and Bradbury. 2009) The Francis report states that visitors and staff should adhere to hygiene requirements as well as reminding anyone who is seen to not adhere to these requirements so that the high standard of hygiene is achieved and promoted.  (2013)The knowledge when to wash by the WHO’s five moments enables nurses to make knowing when to wash their hands second nature. It also makes the nurse more aware of how serious it is to have clean hands as â€Å"clean hands save lives† as said by the National Patient Safety Alert from 2008 which states that the individual risks to patients are dramatically reduced if healthcare workers washed or disinfected their patients every time they needed to perform patient contact.The six C’s dev ised by Cummins and Bennett in 2012 state that one of a nurse’s prime responsibilities is to care, this means giving the care of controlling infection as it is extremely important to keep clear of potentially avoidable HCAIs which can have a significant impact to the patient’s physical and psychological state. This could worsen their condition, increase length of stay, increase pain and suffering and increase worry and stress. This all causes a massive impact on the economy as HCAIs cost the NHS over the estimated ?1 billion.  (NAO, 2009)The knowledge of appropriate hand hygiene also shows competence, another of the six C’s, as nurses can use what they have learnt confidently to ensure they have controlled spreading infection. Hand hygiene is also a commitment, as a nurse may wash their hands but a commitment must be made to wash them to the standard that is appropriate. Communication is also vital in infection control as infection control is everyone’s responsibility.(Randle, Coffey and Bradbury, 2009) In all aspects of infection control communication must be at the heart of the process so that the right precautions are taken. Staff and researchers must communicate with each other in order to maintain the same level of knowledge on hand hygiene so that the most up to date method is used. It is important for staff to communicate with patients to teach and improve their own hygiene to ensure the safety of themselves and others around them.It is also key for staff to communicate to patient relatives in  order for them to carry out routine hygiene which imperative for hospital or other healthcare settings infection control. Information given would be useful for the public to know to reduce general sickness therefore reducing burden on local NHS services. The actual technique should be addressed to all everyone as if it is not done adequately harmful microbes would still be on the hands and therefore infection can still occur. How w ill this learning influence you clinical practiceApplying the knowledge of hand hygiene learnt to clinical practice would mean to risk assess the situation at hand in environment by asking the assessment questions as described by Randle, Coffey and Bradbury (2009), then use the five moments given by WHO (2006) to demonstrate competence in when to wash or disinfect hands. Nurses will be influenced by which situation they are placed in, for example when moving from one patient to another hands must be washed by water and liquid soap method (WHO, 2006).The six C’s would also influence a nurse in hand hygiene as a nurse would think about caring for the patient, giving a commitment to safe care as well as being competent in this task. Electing the most effective hand washing technique must be done to successfully remove pathogens so that not to transmitted from one patient to another or one area to another. The techniques discussed vaguely circle around the same routine with diffe rences in times, in clinical practice these would all influence the nurse whilst performing hand hygiene but the standard practice would be used as it is the technique enforced by the NPSA adapted from the WHO.The most recently updated hand hygiene method by the NPSA includes the use of alcohol gels, these should not be used as a constant alternative as they would lead to build up and therefore not effective for removing harmful microbes and are not suitable in some cases as they would not remove dirt or organic materials, cause a risk of ignition when handling medical gas cylinders and would not be effective against Clostridium difficile and Norovirus. (Brekle and Macqueen 2012) Therefore this would influence workers in clinical practice as alcohol gels should only be used out of these circumstances.Describe how you will continue to develop this learning after this module The research into all hand hygiene methods should be regularly looked over as there will always be improvements to how the NHS handles infection control. One example of this would be the use of non-touch taps, a favourable option by many healthcare providers, but although creating minimal contact with a potentially easily contaminated area to control the outbreak of MRSA it has also led to the potential link between infrared taps and the outbreak of pseudomonas bacteria due to increased surface area in the plumbing of these taps.(Department of Health, 2012) This example demonstrates that there will always be constant reviews into infection control so it is important to keep up to date on the latest information on practice available and to comply with the NMC code of conduct. A nurse must take part in additional learning or training to develop competence in hand hygiene practice and to constantly review themselves on their development in order to assess what they could do to improve.Randle, Coffey and Bradbury (2009) suggest that on going training will always be required in this area of pract ice. How does this personal and professional development relate to the NMC Code Developing and understanding the appropriate hand hygiene procedures for personal and profession practice is important to comprehend so that the nurse can continue to care of the patient their first concern. Caring for a patient means to not worsen their health by transmitting infection which could be preventable as by washing hands.It is immensely important for nurses to act within their competencies which includes being able to competently hand wash appropriately to control infection as it is vital in performing any act of physical care to patient. (Dougherty and Lister 2011). Another section of the NMC code specifies that a nurse should administer care â€Å"based on the best available evidence or best practice†. All nurses must strive and aspire to remain on top of the developing and constantly modifying information and research on infection control.This also relates significantly to the NMC c ode which represents that all nurses must maintain and improve their knowledge and skills based on the most up to date information throughout their working lives. Providing high quality infection control at all times applies to the NMC code because it means that the nurse is complying with providing the high standard of practice and care at all times. How does your topic relate to the NHS Constitution The NHS constitution states the rights and commitments to patients, the public and the staff.  (Department of Health, 2013)The topic of hand washing relates to this document because the NHS constitution is the integral laws to which the NHS strives to stand by and infection control is high on constantly on the agenda for the NHS to improve upon. The constitution expresses that the NHS aims to provide the â€Å"highest standards of excellence and professionalism† and providing a high calibre of care which is â€Å"safe, effective and focused on the patient†. The terms sa fe and effective relate to hand hygiene as nurses must follow hand hygiene procedures so that the care given is is not hindered by the possibility of passing infection.The constitution also gives the values of the NHS, which includes the value to improve lives. The NHS commits to improve lives and not to decrease the health of the patient due to HCAIs and so it is paramount that infection control procedures are followed to lessen the risk of infections occurring whilst receiving healthcare. Patient rights are issued in the document, one particular is the right for the patient to be treated with a professional standard of care which has been administered by qualified professionals.Service users of the NHS have the right to expect the quality of healthcare to be monitored and improved continuously, which includes safety, so hand hygiene of workers should be continuously reviewed to make sure it is up to the standard that will ensure safety. The NHS Constitution commits to establish a safe and hygienic setting which is fit for purpose which directly involves the matter of hand hygiene because of importance of it in infection control which promotes a safe and clean environment. (Department of Health, 2013)ConclusionIt is clear that transmitting infectious diseases can reduced if staff, patients and visitors washed their hands before and after tasks, a routine hand hygiene technique cannot be stressed enough as it is paramount for all staff to adhere to so that the spread of infection at bay. It is now valued that hand washing is not only important when hands are visible contaminated but is also vital that they are washed when it is not visible that they are contaminated due to the microscopic pathogens hidden on the skin.This knowledge is essential to be passed on to all those who flow through a healthcare setting so that education can be continued on infection control. With this given, it is key that communication skills are overly efficient at voicing and helpin g in infection control with caring for the patients at the heart the education. With continued education and observations in this area more people would be able to show acceptable hand washing and therefore reduce the risk of infection. Hand hygiene techniques influence all nurses because of the strong link to many of the six C’s and the vast importance to the health of all patients.

Free Essays on Miracles

‘Miracles’ The term miracle is used in many different terms in this day and age, in an average dictionary, the term is described as, â€Å"something that cannot be explained, by natural circumstances, a supernatural occurrence.† Christian and maybe other religious groups believe that a miracle is an occurrence/s taking place through the gracious power of God! I think its something that man/woman cannot explain, it’s a gift from God. A miracle can take place at any point, and any time. It could also be unexpected, God is not predictable. I also think that we place miracles in the category of things that are humanly impossible to accomplish. Is the term used correctly I think the word miracle should be used to describe something of a powerful nature, for example, â€Å"It was a miracle that Jesus healed Aaron to recover from his coma.† I think that is the best way to use the term, although in today’s world it can be used in a simple sentence formation. For example, â€Å"it’s a miracle, I won the lottery!† Many people use the word as if it’s nothing of any importance. I have a strong belief that a miracle ment more to the people of the New testament times, than in today’s world. Miracles were believed to be a supernatural act of God. I think they still are but the notion is not very strong today. The theories that â€Å"God does not exist† aids in the miss use of the term today and also adds to the mockery. What people thought back then In the times of Jesus, there was no science to prove things, there was no scientific explanation for supernatural things that took place, they just had their own theories. And I think they were more disillusioned to the actual fact of what had taken place. Although I think many believed that miracles were a known fact and that God had given his son, Jesus Christ the ability to perform them. When demons were driven out of people and bad spirits, people assumed it was purely ex... Free Essays on Miracles Free Essays on Miracles ‘Miracles’ The term miracle is used in many different terms in this day and age, in an average dictionary, the term is described as, â€Å"something that cannot be explained, by natural circumstances, a supernatural occurrence.† Christian and maybe other religious groups believe that a miracle is an occurrence/s taking place through the gracious power of God! I think its something that man/woman cannot explain, it’s a gift from God. A miracle can take place at any point, and any time. It could also be unexpected, God is not predictable. I also think that we place miracles in the category of things that are humanly impossible to accomplish. Is the term used correctly I think the word miracle should be used to describe something of a powerful nature, for example, â€Å"It was a miracle that Jesus healed Aaron to recover from his coma.† I think that is the best way to use the term, although in today’s world it can be used in a simple sentence formation. For example, â€Å"it’s a miracle, I won the lottery!† Many people use the word as if it’s nothing of any importance. I have a strong belief that a miracle ment more to the people of the New testament times, than in today’s world. Miracles were believed to be a supernatural act of God. I think they still are but the notion is not very strong today. The theories that â€Å"God does not exist† aids in the miss use of the term today and also adds to the mockery. What people thought back then In the times of Jesus, there was no science to prove things, there was no scientific explanation for supernatural things that took place, they just had their own theories. And I think they were more disillusioned to the actual fact of what had taken place. Although I think many believed that miracles were a known fact and that God had given his son, Jesus Christ the ability to perform them. When demons were driven out of people and bad spirits, people assumed it was purely ex...

Investigation of a business development proposal for a centre store in Essay

Investigation of a business development proposal for a centre store in the business - Essay Example earned from the newly rented premises Expected income: these are the actual earning that are expected to be generated from the new premises Build up factor: it is the percentage of the maximum possible income that the managers of the business hope to make in the first few years after start up Cost of sales: these are the expenses that incurred in order for the business make sales and may include cost of raw materials and transportation cost among other costs. Net cash flow: this is the difference between the total expenses and the total income that the business generated; it is the money that the business was left with after paying its expense (Day, 2012, p26). Discount factor: this is the rate at which the management of the business depreciates the capital goods in the premise; the depreciation rate is done on an annual nominal rate Present value of net cash flow: this is the cash flow of the business that has been adjusted for depreciation. The purpose of this report is to analyse the financial viability of expanding the business by renting additional floor space and setting up branded boutiques for brand name such as Maine and Gucci, Principles, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, Timberland and Calvin Klein among others. Initial conclusion The net present value of the business expansion of Bristol stalls is 1, 399, 500 US dollars for the first three years after start up while the estimated cost of investments in terms of fitting and design total to 900, 000 US dollars. This shows that there is a difference of 499, 500 US dollars, this means that the business will have repaid the start up costs fully and made some significant profit margins despite not operating at the full capacity. According to calculations in the net cash flows that have not been adjusted for depreciation, the figures shows an upward trend which is encouraging as it shows the business will be able to increase its capacity to generate revenue if the trend continues. This will happen despite the inc rease in most of the other related costs apart from the miscellaneous costs, which are estimated to remain constant throughout the first three years after start up. Therefore, using the financial information generated by the cash flow, it is financially viable for the business to expand its operations by renting adjacent spaces in Bristol store. Sensitivity analysis One of the reasons that informed the above decision is the total costs that would be incurred in running the new business premises, these costs are relatively low as compared to the expected income that the new floor space will generate. The total expenses per quarter in the first year are 433, 375 US dollars, this is below the expected income of 540, 000 US dollars, subtracting these two figures one gets 106, 625 US dollars, which is the residue that remains after the basic expenses have been deducted. If the value of total costs was any figure above 540, 000 US dollars, then the business would have been left with a neg ative residue. For instance if the total costs were 600, 000 US dollars per quarter, then the residue would have

What are the Main Criticisms of Realist Literature review

What are the Main Criticisms of Realist - Literature review Example International relations refer to the political, and sometimes economic, relations between states. Realism is an approach to the management of international relations whereby decision-makers adopt a practical rather than a moral view of issues. Essentially, realism proscribes that we see 'the world as it really is rather than how we would like it to be' (Baylis and Smith, 1997:3). Realists have a somewhat Hobbesian view of humankind and states, actors are believed to be self-interested and, in order to maintain the balance of power, often must be forced into compliance by war, which is seen as a necessary byproduct of competition. Although realism is a dominant ideology in many Western countries including the United States, it is been subject to numerous criticisms, as they are the primary focus of this essay it is to these criticisms that we now turn. Implicit within realism is a set of fundamental principles, these principles form the basis of realist ideas, yet, also generate heavy criticism. Realists reject notions of long-term cooperation with or allegiance to competing states (Baylis and Smith, 1997:141-146).   The 'everything but arms' initiative developed in the region ensures that the worlds poorest countries are permitted to export all their goods (other than arms) into Europe free of charge (Stiglitz, 2004:246). If it were as realists suggest, all nations are self-interested utility maximizers then this type of cooperation would be highly unlikely. It would probably make more economic sense for the European Union to export to these poorer nations but to leave their own markets closed to foreign materials or to command a fee for allowing access which would normally be the case. Programs like this one are genuine attempts by the international community to find a viable solution to the problems of the third world, insinuating that not all states act in self-interest and all are capable of cooperation. Further, cooperation and long-term alliances are possible. It also suggests that as constructivists have argued, it is the state itself that defines 'anarchy' and it is by no means a fixed e lement of states, rather a socially constructed ideal that only survives in states that operate under realist auspices (Bayliss and Smith, 1997:141-161).