Youth Drug Abuse Hong Kong

Youth Drug Abuse Hong Kong Youth problem is a wide-ranged and intertwined one among the social problems. With the development of information technology and economics, the teenagers are faced with more temptations than the older generations of their age, in other words, they have more choices for fun, like online games, Japanese cartoon and animation books and magazines, everyday updated fashionable accessories, hi-tech products and something can make the young generation feel like in the trend. However, out of some reasons, they are prone to be addicted with the novelties and then deviate from their normal life, such as the internet addiction, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and so on. Some of those youth problems are independent, but most of them are relevant and can elicit each other. Quite recent, I watched a documentary film named the Crimson Jade telling a story about a drug abuse schoolgirl, which arouse me to dig more about the young drug abuse group. Thus, in this paper, I especially choose the youth drug ab use problem as the topic. Drug abuse is regarded as a serious teenager problem in Hong Kong. The age of the individuals who is the first time taking drug is younger than past: since 2007, the reported drug abuser under 21 increased by 34 percent within 3 years (Qing shao nian du pin wen ti zhuan ze xiao zu bao gao : zhai yao, 2008); In the year of 2007, almost all reported young drug abuser (99 percent) once took the mentally damaging drugs, only 2 percent of them took the traditional drugs (mainly the heroin), and there were 80.2 percent of young abuser took the ketamine for the most part (Qing shao nian du pin wen ti zhuan ze xiao zu bao gao : zhai yao, 2008).The developing traits of the Hong Kong teenagers drug abuse:1) the age of abusers tends to be younger as time goes on ; 2) increasing females become the drug abusers (Luan, 2010), the drug addictive female under 21 increased by 25 percent than the same duration in the first half year of 2008. 3% of youth are easily tend to be involved in drug dealing a nd/or smuggling. The definition of the youth drug abuse According to the definition of deviant behavior, the drug abuse is one of forms of that. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the meaning of former first. After reviewing the textbook, it can be illustrated that the deviance involves the activities do not compliant with the social norms and are unreached the expectations of members from a specific society (Haralambos, 2008). Deviance in a sociological context describes actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime) as well as informal violations of social norms (e.g., rejecting folkways and norms). It is the preview of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists to study how these norms are created, how they change over time and how they are enforced (Wikipedia, 2010). It can be illustrated that the crime, delinquency, different kinds of addictions are the forms of the deviant behaviors, and the drug abuse is one of the addictions. In terms of the definition of you th drug abuse, the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), no longer regarded drug abuse as a current medical diagnosis. Instead, DSM has adopted substance abuse (Wikipedia, 2010) as a blanket term to embrace drug abuse and other things. In my view, I think the youth drug abuse is young people who have their internal problems (mental and physical) and influenced by the external factors from their peers, families, neighhoods, and social trend and culture, are resulting in passive emotion, thereby tending to transfer or shirking the negative emotion temporarily through taking drugs without tackling the concrete problems. Additionally, according to Elises lecture, it was told that the alcohol abuse also belong to the drug abuse, for the alcohol is one of the chemicals can induce the mentally active abnormal syndrome. But in this paper, it mainly narrows down the topic to the usual understanding of the drugs like ketamine, heroin an d marijuana etc. The nature and origin of youth drug abuse The micro level 1) Individual factor: partial reasons are personality and the developmental physical function of the young drug abuse. The former is instinctively from the perspective of the psychology, such as sensation or novelty seeking, inhibition and antisocial traits. The people who are inclined to be the drug abuser showed several personality deficits in common: 1) Behavioral problem. 2) Emotional obsession. 3) Low self-esteem. 4) Low resistance to obstacles.5) Swaying will(Yang, 2008).the latter is physiology, for adolescence is the transition from child to teenagers whose physical functions are developing under flux, thus some deficit of the body might be aroused during that time (Luan, 2010). Analyses of many studies have concluded that genes influence 40 to 50 percent of the variation in antisocial behaviors with a population, and 60 to 65 percent of the variation in aggressive antisociality (Rhee Waldmam, 2002; Tackett, Krugeger, Iacono, McGue, 2005). Owing to the research of Coleman, the certain genes in some individuals can render them more prone to be the drug abusers (2009).In addition, Laura deemed that the addiction is a disease in the brain that can control of it (2008). The mezzo level 1) Family factors: the family integrity (whether the teenage lives with single parent or not), the communication pattern of the family members etc., especially the lacking of monitoring of a teenagers interpersonal relationship and whereabouts, regarded as the most influential predictor of the drug use of that age (Chilcoat and Anthony, 1996; Williams and Hine, 2002).Further more, the parents acknowledgement and the cognition on the drugs can not match the developmental understanding of their childrens. There were 30 percent of interviewed parents did not know or could not be sure about whether their children had taken drugs or not (Ming Pao, 2009). It is the fact that parents are lacking the basic knowledge on updated drug-taking development in youth; therefore they are not that sensitive and alert to the slight symptoms or unusual behaviors of their children, and their care for the children might put in the inappropriate place. 2) Peer factors: except the parenting influence, the peer group is the sources of affection, sympathy, understanding, moral guidance, a place for experimentation, a setting for achieving autonomy and independence from parents (Papalia, 2009). Adolescence is the transition stage of an individual, from which an individual gradually starts to live more independent and dedicate more time with peers. Therefore, the peers or friends choosing for the youth play a pivotal role in accepting influence from the people they hang out with. Some negative peer pressure might breed from the interaction among the association, for instance, a negative role model in a clique takes drugs and also escape the punishment from law might encourage his or her friends to try the drug, for complicated combination of the fluke mind and peer pressure, the rest member of the clique probably might imitate the negative one. From 2008 to the first half year of 2010, according to statistics results from the Narcotics Division, Security Bureau of Hong Kong, there was over 60 percent respondent to choose the Influenced by the peers, I want to fit in the peers group as the initial reason why they take the drugs for straight years(ND, 2010). Additionally, young people are inclined to those whose are similar to themselves in school achievement, adjustment, and prosocial or antisocial tendencies (Collins et al., 2000; B. B. Brown et al., 1993). 3) School and community risk factors: Friedman took the view that the teenagers who had poor academic performance and/or behavioral problems are prone to substance abuse at a high risk (Friedman, Bransfield, Kreisher, 1994). A strict disciplinary school can possibly restrict teenagers from the potential influence of the other factors. At school teachers evaluate students basically towards their academic performance instead of well-rounded perspective out limited human resources and effective and applicable methods. Students who have poor performance academically might be looked upon as the deviants and bad students at school. In my point of view, the school the whereabouts those students who have poor academic performance are labeled as the bad ones. Because self-concepts of individuals are largely stemmed from the responses of others, and they will tend to indentify themselves with that certain label (Haralambos, 2008); some young people are just potentially deviant once labeled as the concrete deviant, which will possibly trigger them give off the potential tendency into reality as well as the behaviors are going to be reinforced. From the perspective of labeling theory, Becker thought that the deviant behaviors resulted from those who had power could define others and make them label sticker. Here it can be seen that the school is the party with power who seems can be the judge, meanwhile, the students are compelled to receive the inappropriate judgment, which is unfair and ill-considered. As for Lemert the other advocator of the theory, he deemed that there were the primary deviation and the secondary deviation that publically labeled. But the former effected very little to whom were labeled for the first time, which means, it is slightly possible to elicit the being first labeled ones to do something deviant. Only the latter was the determinant cause for the concrete deviant to happen. If some students with poor academic performance receive the negatively labeling comments (they can be regarded as the negative punishment) again and again, there is no doubt that the self-identities are questioned and the potential deviant tendency will be possibly triggered. In terms of community, the living circumstance of teenagers is quite important. The accessibility to the drugs of the neighborhoods and the degree of awareness of forbidden drugs are the influential factors for the teenagers. I think the influences can be good or not, it can be imagined that if the young people with drug abusive tendency live in positively active neighborhoods, the possibility for them of transforming into the drug abuser is still quite low, therefore neighborhoods can play the vital roles as the positive reinforcement for the possible deviant behavior of the youth. The macro level 1) Culture and social factors: from the perspective of Marxism, it is acknowledged that the economic foundation decides the superstructure. Hong Kong is a world class cosmopolitan city with rapid speed life tempo, no matter which aspect is in the first class of the world. Hong Kong people can have the most updated electronic products, the comic books, and the so-called leisure style like taking some drugs, which are pretty attractive for the young people to give it a try. The teenagers of that age are easy to do something deviant impulsively and over-esteemed to think they can control themselves, which lead them to deem that taking drugs is not a big deal. The misconception of leisure modes in these entertainment mass media is likely to have deteriorative effects on the moral conscience of the young people. In addition, all kind forms of mass media like the TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, especially the barrier-free internet services create infinite accessibilities for the juveniles to the violence and pornography that are exactly one of the sources giving the chance to the youth to imitate the negative side of the humanity consciously or subconsciously, like instigating peers to try the drugs or even being the drug dealers. In the light of the exploratory study by Yung Lai fong, she concluded that the adverse influence of the unhealthy representations on newspapers/movies/VCDs was great. The comic books/magazines on sex and violence, in particular, appeared to have the most damaging effects on the healthy development of young people (Yung, L, Edith, 1998). There is no doubt that the mass media does have the far-reaching and perpetuating impacts on the development of the young people intellectually and morally, and on their attitudes and perspectives towards self and others as well. In conclusion, the three levels analysis for the origin and nature of the youth drug abuse are reciprocal to each other, one factor can not bring about the consequence of youth drug abuse recursively. The factors of different levels are considered as the social institutions, and they interact and have mutual impact to each other, in the specific condition, can turn the drug abusive tendency into reality. Intervention from different levels In my opinion, the social worker can be compared to the agent that is functioning as the bridge between the client and the other social institutions. Therefore, it is necessary to fully tap the functions of the agent to bridge well connections among those social institutions. From the macro level, in campus and off campus, social workers can promote and popularize the essential knowledge on drugs and its damage as well as the negative influences to abusers and their families, peers and the society. Especially, the agency can bring the advantages of mass media into full play by cooperating with them, and its social workers can held some activities in order to disseminate the general ideas on disadvantages and the irreversible damages to the youth, and advocate the appropriate way to report some pop stars who take drugs and favorable in teenagers but not advocate it as a novel lifestyles.E.g: In the mezzo and micro levels, social workers and the agency can filter down the target group, and then carry out the relevant intervention plans. When carrying out the intervention, social workers should be sensitive about the slight changes of the high risky youth, and the possible behavioral characteristics them are as follows: 1) Borrowing money from friends more often. 2) The abuser is looked dispirited and low-energy, sometimes having unusual excitements and meaninglessness behavior. 3) The abuser immediately turns to be depressive after behaving happily and talkatively (00).In terms of the specific approach, the social workers can adopt the CBT-MBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Motivational Therapy), according to previous experience, CBT-MBT has been evaluated primarily in cases of young people abusing marijuana, 10 out of 12 randomized clinical trails have supported the effectiveness of the approach, with the effects persisting for as long as 30 months after treatment (W aldron, Turner,2008).The social workers can also refer to practical skills during a ten-session CBT: 1) refusing offers to use drugs; 2) expanding the young persons networks; 3) avoiding high-risk drug use situations; 4) managing anger; 5) communicating with parents and peers; 6) dealing with depressed mood ;7) coping with craving (Scharffer, Chang, Henggeler, 2008). In my point of view, among those skills, the social workers should carry them out logically and progressively according to different situations and the major inducement of taking drugs of clients. For example, given that the clients are easily prone to be influenced by peers and less decisive, he or she took drugs largely because his or her so-called friends did. In consideration of this, firstly, the social worker can concentrate on the teaching the skill of refusing offers to use drugs; secondly, it is crucial to find out the behind reasons through skillful counseling. Maybe the client feels lacking the support from f amily or can not be understood by others etc. which possibly contribute to different solutions and methods to deal with clients situation. During the counseling process, finding the strength (Hepworth, 2009) of the client is especially important for social workers to make it a part of the intervention. It is the essential solution that encouraging the clients to believe in themselves in order to enhance the self-strength efficiency during the process. The social worker can assist the client to set short term goal and long run goal for the sake of strengthening the self-esteem of the client. When the goals are settled, the social can also put forward the monitoring plan including the weekly meeting and self-monitoring on the behalf of the client. In all, it is practical to evoke the positive sides of the clients like helping and taking care of others, the pursuit of life goal, the capacity of anti-stress and meet the challenges. Parents are the key to the successful intervention. For the social worker, they can hold the workshop, panel discussion and keep in tough with parents. Because of lacking daily communication and interaction with the children, most young drug abusers parents did not realize the changes of their children. The social workers held the workshop in order to create more opportunities for enhancing the interaction between those parents and children via interactive games and role-playing of using the videotapes to model positive and negative parent-child interaction, discussion etc. (Scharffer, Henggeler,2008). If the social worker finds the drug abuse /addiction case or is informed by the other parties, such as teachers, students and community members, it is necessary to make the referral in order to help the abuser efficiently and timely. After the rehabilitation, the case still requires to be followed in the long run, for there is usually existing the recrudesce of drug addiction in the following months. Information inclination: The cognition conducts the behavior, in the aspect of diversified intervention methods, that is to say, what kind of the perspectives towards the matters decides the information inclination. Showing the mass media materials like videotapes and newspapers can provide vivid examples of the physical and mental disadvantages and damages to the clients. Theories Labeling theory: Social learning theory: Julian Rotter moved away from theories based on psychosis and behaviorism, and developed a learning theory. In Social Learning and Clinical Psychology (1954), Rotter suggests that the effect of behavior has an impact on the motivation of people to engage in that specific behavior. This social learning theory suggests that behavior is influenced by these environmental factors or stimulus, and not psychological factors alone. Albert Bandura (1977) expanded on Rotters idea, as well as earlier work by Miller Dollard (1941), and is related to social learning theories of Vygotsky and Lave. Social learning suggests a combination of environmental (social) and psychological factors influence behaviors. This theory incorporates aspects of behavioral and cognitive learning. Behavioral learning assumes that peoples environment (surroundings) cause people to behave in certain ways. Cognitive learning presumes that psychological factors are important for influencing how one behaves. Push-pull Theory Differential Association theory Evidences/ supports of the youth substance abuser: Peer influence is the major cause of youth drug abuseAccording to the survey in 2004, it reported that the commonest drug suppliers were the peers of the teenagers with 51.8 percent, and there were only 10.4 percent by drug dealers and 8.2 percent to 10.8 percent by parents, family members and relatives respectively. When the young drug abusers encounter some problems or troubles they tend to seek for help from those who provided the drugs to them as their first choice rather than the parents, teachers and social workers. One interesting founding in the 2004 survey was that psychotropic substance abusers would rather to get help from their close friends first (26.8percent ) than seek help from parents first with 11.8 percent and seek help from social workers counted to 9.3 percent. The reason for first try of drugs: Knowledge deficit, misconceptions of substance use, academic problems, family problems and poor relationship with parents and peers have also driven them to have their first try (The 2004 Survey of Drug Use among Students, 2005; Boys, Marsden, Strang, 2001).

Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventi

Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventions of the Gothic novel, and show how your knowledge of Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventions of the Gothic novel, and show how your knowledge of these conventions affects your reading of Northanger Abbey. Is Northanger Abbey most accurately described as parody of the Gothic genre, or is there a more complicated relationship going on? Gothic novels purport to revive old stories and beliefs, exploring personal, psychical encounters with the taboo (Williams, 2000). The genre, as typified by The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, involves a beautiful innocent young woman who is held captive by an older, powerful, evil man in his large, ancient and gloomy residence for his own lustful purposes and who escapes, with the aid of supernatural manifestations, errors caused by â€Å"false surmises and conjectures based on partial narratives† (Hoeveler, 1995, p127) and a handsome young hero. Walpole's novel centers around the tyrant where the female writers in the genre, for example, Ann Radcliffe, focus more on the female victim and what she is thinking and feeling, exploring women’s anxieties about their lack of control of their feelings, their bodies, and their property, and their desire for something far more extraordinary and exciting than simply to be a domestic woman. The use of the supernatural by Walpole is so frequent and monstrous as to excite laughter rather than terror but for Radcliffe and Austen the supernatural is not visible but is an invisible hand that makes sure that good always triumphs and evil is always punished (Andriopoulos, 1999) . It is necessary to be aware of these Gothic conve... ...omy and the Gothic Novel.† ELH 66.3 (1999): 739-59. Austen, Jane. The Novels of Jane Austen. Ed. R.W. Chapman. 3rd edition. Oxford:OUP, 1933-69 Cudden, J.A. Dictionary of Literary Terms & Literary Theory. Penguin: London, 1999. Hoeveler, Diane. â€Å"Vindicating Northanger Abbey: Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, and Gothic Feminism.† Jane Austen and Discourses of Feminism. Ed. Devony Looser. Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 1995. 117-35 Jerinic, Maria. â€Å"In Defense of the Gothic: Rereading Northanger Abbey.† Jane Austen and Discourses of Feminism. Ed. Devoney Looser. Houndsmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillian, 1995. 137-49 Neill, Edward. â€Å"The Secret of Northanger Abbey.† Essays in Criticism 47 (1997): 13-32 Williams, Anne. â€Å"The Horror, the Horror: Recent Studies in Gothic Fiction.† Modern Fiction Studies 46.3 (2000): 789-99

free america :: essays research papers

free americaa  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is freedom really free? We all say we live in a free society, but if you walk across the street with out a cross walk you could be arrested! How can that be freedom, when you look at it that way It dosent really seem free. There has been major achievements in history to make our world free with out question. We the American people have strived for centuries to keep America free we fought the British to be free and create a beautiful country , we fought for the freeing of the slaves in the Civil War, also the nazi’s in World War Two who where trying to put a fascist government rule on Germany and the world. (The exact opsite of freedom).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They say that Freedom comes at a price ; why a price on freedom dosent that defeat the purpose? Wont that negate freedom if you have to give something up for it? Freedom seems to me to be something that is with out price, unexchangeable for anything ,any reason, any objective. Its irreplaceable in all expressive senses it possesses and represents. It retains and upholds liberty, independence, privilege, and license to be and to live your life as you see suitable. Freedom is open to anyone who will fight for its existence if that fight is only to say that they yearn for it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the most part we see freedom as free, if we want to go out at 3:00 a.m. in the early morning for ice-cream and shotgun shells we are â€Å"Free† to do just that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We as American citizens are accustom to many freedoms that we sometimes take for granted such as the freedom to speak out against anyone who is trying to infarct upon our civil liberties, the right to choose who will represent us to the rest of the world, and the freedom to make and change any rule set forth if it does not apply.

Effects of Women Incarceration on Young Children Essay

Number of women putting in prison has increased drastically in recent decades. Approximately 600,000 women were incarcerated in 1990. This number has increased to more than one million in 2000. Though women are less likely to get imprisonment, the rate of their imprisonment is rising drastically (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). Majority of women put in prison are mothers. Families of incarcerated women are badly affected and face challenges such mental illness, poverty, substance abuse and child abuse. Sometimes, permanent changes in children of incarcerated women take place even when their mother has returned home. Such children lose the hope of having their mother for the rest of life with them. They think that their mother will go to jail sooner or later (Greene & Hurtado 2000). Children of incarcerated mother are subjected to go through troubles in their adolescence. Such children may commit a crime, may involve in substance abuse, mental illness may be profound in them, may leave schools in their early life and may receive inappropriate adult care. Criminal behavior of mothers brings damaging effects in children. They are badly affected when they see their mother arrested and put in prison (Young & Carrie 2000). This paper provides information about the effects of women incarceration on young children. Different age groups of children are taken into consideration and the effect of their mother’s incarceration on them is discussed in detail. This paper describes how children try to cope up with the incarceration of their mothers. Changes in policies are required and this paper recommends such changes to provide support to such children and to keep them away from the harm. Effect of Women Incarceration on Young Children Majority of the incarcerated women are mothers. The effects of mother’s incarceration on young children are not much known. Such children are not considered when their mothers are put in prison. Researchers, policy makers, communities and service providers do not think about the affected children and thus, nothing is being done for the well-being of those children. Children at different development stages are affected to a different extent. Infants and toddlers are affected in a different manner, where as, pre-schoolers, school-aged children and adolescents are affected in entirely different manner to a different extent (McClellan 1994). Impact of Mother’s Incarceration on Infants and Toddlers Babies are not able to understand the imprisonment of their mothers but people around them come under stress due to the incarceration of the baby’s mother. Such stressed people’s behavior tells the babies that something wrong has happened. The stress period begins when the mother is arrested, put in prison and the stress continues even after the mother’s return. Care givers do not take care of the babies the way a mother can do. Such babies do not receive breast feeding that is essential for their growth. Their routines are badly disrupted. Infants and toddlers are more likely to receive neglecting and abusive care. They are most likely to receive very less capacity to regulate them. They have to face severe stress that is often imposed by their family. They may also have to face poverty. Children of this age group are not able to understand the arrest and imprisonment of their mothers. Some children of this age group forget their mothers and become attached to the caregiver. So, the bond between mother and the child will be broken for ever. When children of this age group are taken to penal settings, they are unable to understand why they cannot touch their moms though their moms are in front of them (Marcus-Mendoza 2001). Impact of Mother’s Incarceration on Pre-Schoolers Pre-schoolers’ age ranges from three to five years. Children under this age group need the development of skills that are essential for them to get success in their academics and society. Individuality seems to be prominent and such children need to live independent life. Discipline development is essential at this stage and certain routines need to be set at this age. Children under this age group are also not able to understand much about the incarceration of their mother but they can catch the feelings by the notions of people surrounding them (Greene & Hurtado 2000). Children’s limited understanding power does not let them connect crime with imprisonment and thus they simply tend to focus on the results of the incarceration. For example, they start disliking the police just because their mother was taken away. They do not like judges because they are responsible for putting their mothers in jails. Sometimes, such children start disliking their mothers because they think that their mother has done something wrong. They need time to settle their minds again to have the same picture of their mother as they had before; the mother who was used to take good care of them. Children under such circumstances usually consider the criminal justice system quite unjust and they consider them as the victims of the criminal justice system (Hagan 1996). Impact of Mother’s Incarceration on School-Aged Children When children come to an age between 6 to 12 years, they become more aware of them and people. Their thinking abilities are enhanced and concepts about rights and wrongs become clearer to them. Such children begin to establish relations with their caregivers and go away from their mothers. In fact, such children should be able to rationalize that their mother is a good person. This can be done when the image of their mother is portrayed to them in a positive manner. They tend to justify that the acts of their mother were quite fair and the criminal justice system has been unfair to them or they may even complain of a biased behavior. Such behavioral developments in children of this age group are quite alarming as criminal behavior may also be developed in such children (Fejes & Miller 2002). Children of this age group do not share this bitter reality of their life with others. They hide as their weak point. Thus, they are less likely to receive any kind of support from others such as teachers, and care takers. They tend to minimize socialization. Aggressive behavior may also develop in such children and they feel difficulty in putting their efforts in their education resulting in more absences (Feldman et al. 1999). Development of Criminal Behavior in Young Children of Incarcerated Women Children of incarcerated women may develop criminal behavior. Following are some factors that determine the likelihood of criminal behavior. Coping Strategies Children of all ages go through extremely hurtful situations. They begin to implement coping strategies to get out of the awkward situations resulting from their mother’s incarceration. They begin to suffer from anxiety, feelings of shame and anger and financial problems. They begin to deny the reality, show aggressive behavior, blame themselves, get involved in substance and alcohol abuse and find ways to escape from the situation by running away. These strategies may benefit kids on temporary basis but they leave long lasting bad effects. These issues may lead to criminal behavior (Casey-Acevedo 2002). Giving Good Reasons This is another strategy that children of incarcerated mothers use to portray their mothers as very good persons. They do so to hide the reality of their mothers. They deny the fact that their mother had committed a crime and that is why she was sent to prison. They justify their mother’s position by insisting that people saying bad words about their mother are indeed bad themselves. They even begin to justify the crime committed by their mother. They insist that crime may be permissible in certain circumstances such as they justify that stealing is a right act if done to provide clothing and food for family. They consider themselves and their mother as a victim of situations such as poverty that had forced their mother to commit a crime. Criminal justice system seems unfair in their eyes. As a result, anti-social behavior begins to develop in such children (Feldman et al. 1999). Poverty Usually incarcerated mother had been the finance provider for children. Incarceration of mother results in lack of funds. They do not get proper nutrition and basic things that are the rights to get by all children. As children face poverty, they consider stealing as permissible and thus commit crimes to fulfill their needs. They want to get the things that children living with their mothers usually get; proper nutrition, good clothing, education, healthy environment etc. The absence of such facilities fosters the likelihood to commit a crime (Greene & Hurtado 2000). Absence of Adult Guidance When mother is sent to prison, children do not receive any guidance and supervision from an adult any more. Adults know better how to guide young children so that they become a part of a safer environment. The absence of adult supervision make children suffer and struggle in society and school. They stop going to school, face difficulties in their jobs, and get involved in relationships that exploit or abuse them. They may get involved in drug culture and even in the sex trade (Gabel & Shindledecker 1993). Strategies for the Minimization of Harm There is a great need to implement strategies that can minimize the harm posed to the children of incarcerated women. Following are some useful strategies to combat this issue: Mothers Should Not Be Incarcerated There is a need to keep the whole family together and for this purpose the mothers should not be incarcerated. In case they commit a crime, there should be some alternatives in place of incarceration. Community based interventions should be implemented. The threat of imprisonment will lead towards betterment. Conditional sentencing will not require any imprisonment and justice system will accomplish the goals that were expected to be obtained from the incarceration of women. Training should be provided to important professional groups Educators, child protection workers, mental health professionals should be trained in a way to support the children of incarcerated mothers. They should be able to explain the children about the connection of crime to punishment. Children should be taught about rights and wrongs. School attendance should be encouraged. Caregivers should be trained in a way to provide the children of incarcerated mothers the best nurturing environment. The visits of children to their mothers should be supervised and motivated in positive manners. Conclusion Children of incarcerated women are at a greatest risk of being traumatized and get involved in criminal behavior. Their personalities are badly affected due to the absence of their mother in the time of their needs. Caregivers are not providing the required care. Criminality of women can be reduced by using effective strategies. Children of incarcerated women should be given under the supervision of an adult to help them grow in a safer environment. Strategies to cope up with the bitter reality of their mother’s incarceration should be implemented in a positive way. Schools and society should be encouraged to help such children instead of making fun of them or taunting them. Good neighbors can also play good roles. Children should be provided with the basic facilities that are essential for nurturing them. Mothers with offensive background should be provided with the support to get reasonable jobs to fulfill their basic needs. This way the crime rate among women can be minimized. Society should let such women improve their criminal behavior by motivating them to quit their crimes. Such women should be appreciated to do meaningful activities that can help them become mentally healthy. Children should never be taken away from the children due to incarceration.

Paranormal: Personality Psychology and Carl Jung Essay

Topic Area: This study looks at the relation between the belief in the paranormal and different personality traits. There are two ways of looking at belief in the paranormal this study will look at the people who believe and those who somewhat believe and analyze their personalities traits. Hypothesis: This study examined two contrasting views of paranormal belief which suggest, in one camp, that belief in the paranormal is indicative of psychopathology. On the other hand, a number of researcher have disagreed with this viewpoint, suggesting that such a belief is not an indicator of psychopathology, but the fulfillment of some other underlying need. This study was designed to assess the personality traits of those we would we would consider to be high and low believers in parapsychology. Method: The participants in this study were undergraduate college students mostly freshmen and sophomores who were enrolled in introductory level psychology classes. There were 105 students involved in the study with an age range from 18 to 44 the gender breakdown of participants consisted of 46 men and 59 women whose average age was 20. 19 years old. The participants were administered the Paranormal Belief Scale (Tobacyk & Milford, 1983), The Anomalous Experience Inventory (Kumar, Pekala, & Gallagher, 1994), the Personality Research Form (Jackson, 1984), and a general questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of basic questions about demographics and any experience or preconceptions about the paranormal. The coefficient alphas for the Paranormal Belief Scale were . 93 and . 91. Alphas for the subscales range from . 69-. 85 and . 49-. 74. Using the Paranormal Belief Scale participants were broken into groups of high and low believer’s base on a scale of 25-125 with high believers obtaining a score of 80 and low believers obtaining a score of 63. Each scale was administered in a class room setting and was untimed although the study took approximately 60 minutes to complete. Upon completion each participant was released and received a debriefing letter after the study. Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that the high believers of the paranormal were more than likely to have friends with similar beliefs; they also are more likely to watch shows and read books based on paranormal subjects. The study also showed that more of the high believers had imaginary friends as they were growing up. Also high believers attended church less than those in the low believer’s category and didn’t look at themselves as very religious in comparison to low believers. The test also shows a distinct difference in gender with females scoring significantly higher than males on the (PBS) scale. There was also a series of ANOVAs (analysis of variance) that revealed a significant difference on four of the PRF scales Abasement, Aggression, Defendence, and Sentience these finding represent that there was not a strong enough relationship between these scales and the PBS to suggest a significant difference when examining high vs. low believers. However women scored higher than the men on Aggression and Defendence while men scored higher on Abasement. Critique: When initially reviewing this study to make a determination on which research example that I was going to focus on for my paper. I found that I was really interested in what the outcome of this research would be based on the amount of research that I am aware of that has been done on the study of the paranormal. This particular research was really interesting to me as it attempted to assess the personality traits of those who could be considered either high and/or low believers in parapsychology. According to other studies a person who believes in the paranormal is considered psychologically dysfunctional. This study used what I feel was a small segment of the population for such a broad subject that seems to have so many followers. The fact that they used 105 undergraduates from the age of 18 – 44 makes me think that they may have limited themselves when it comes to the broad perspective of people that they could have used. If I were conducting the study I would have opened it up to males and females with age not being a factor in the study. I also would have went outside of the classroom to get my participants by looking for people who were of all different walks of life and backgrounds, from those with a high school education only to those in under graduate and graduate programs. I would have also attempted to recruit people from different professions from warehouse worker to executive. Another thing that I would have looked into would be the ability to get people to participate with whom I knew where members of the Wiccan community and also some people who believe in Psi, Esp. , and others who believe in poltergeist. I feel this would have produced some validity to base the answers of the non-believers against the answers of the known (or high) believers to form some sort of median to the answers instead of just basing the answers off of people with whom are just here for their extra credit in their Psychology class. Another factor of the test that could have affected the outcome was the fact that it was administered in a class like setting. I feel that while the test should be structured maybe they should have administered it in a less formal manner. When looking at the different tests that were administered to the participants there seemed to be one consistent outcome on all of them. This outcome was that there was very little or no difference in the personality traits of believers compared to those of non-believers. The only measurable differences between the groups were the fact that females scored significantly higher than males when it came to the PBS Psi scale and on aggression and defendence. Males scored higher than females on abasement. Once again I believe other than the gender based scores that the other scores could have been affected by the fact that all the participants in this study were college students in the same program at the same school. Even though there was an age difference and there were students of opposite genders the scores seem to close to me to rule out any relevance to this argument. Relationship of the study to personality theory: The central relationship which was studied came in chapter 4 of our textbook, titled Jung: Analytical Psychology. Carl Jung, in my opinion, seemed to be open to many things that could be considered paranormal. Jung related dreams and past experiences to paranormal thoughts as well as ESP and he also associated levels of a person’s personality traits to different levels of the paranormal. Carl Jung was a strong believer in paranormal activity like spirits, e. s. p. , and the occult. Jung was raised around religion and the  occult from an early age, many members of his family were pastors and his mother’s family practiced spiritualism and mysticism. Jung’s grandfather was a believer of the occult, so much so that he kept a chair for the ghost of his dead wife and would often have intimate talks with her. One might conclude that these childhoods encounters shaped Jung’s beliefs lead him to associate personality traits and paranormal beliefs with one other. Jung’s theories were largely based around his study of the interpretations of dreams, both regular and paranormal. â€Å"Jung was puzzled by paranormal dreams. He could not classify them the way normal dreams could be, but the mystery did lead him to expound on his principle of synchronicity. This concept is that events occur together in time but are not linked through cause and effect connections. For instance, a clock might stop at the moment of its owner’s death, but these are purely synchronistic and unrelated events. Jung concluded that perhaps there is some sort of order in the universe, where a manifestation appears psychically while the related manifestation in physical reality happens at the same time. † (Carl Jung) Jung theorized that there were people, based on personality traits that were more likely to be influenced by paranormal thought and ideologies and came to the conclusion that introverts tend to have the best link to the paranormal. â€Å"Besides the levels of the psyche and the dynamics of personality, Jung recognized various psychological types that grow out of a union of two basic attitudes-intro-versions and extraversion-and four separate functions-thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting. † (Feist, 2009) Intuiting, in general, is often most associated with the paranormal, as illustrated in our textbook on page 120Ã'Ž Table 4.1, introverted intuition is associated with prophets, mystics and religious fanatics. Hurst states that â€Å"Introverted intuitive people are guided by unconscious perception of facts that are basically subjective and have little or no resemblance to external reality. Their subjective intuitive perceptions are remarkably strong and capable of motivating decisions of monumental magnitude. Introverted intuitive people such as mystics, prophets, surrealistic artist, or religious fanatics, often appear peculiar to people of other types who have little comprehension of their motives. Actually, Jung believed that introverted intuitive people may not clearly understand their own motivations, yet they are deeply motivated by them. †(Feist, 2009) It is my opinion that these personality theories prove that paranormal belief is not something that is only suffered by psychopaths. The study states, â€Å"Paranormal belief is indicative of psychopathology, as suggested by the current study. † (Auton, Pope, Seeger) I think that Jung’s theories illustrate that though a person may experience a paranormal instance it does not necessarily mean that there is a mental disorder present. Paranormal experiences may rather be a result of one’s social environment, as often people who believe in the paranormal have acquaintances that share in that belief. It was also referenced that people with such beliefs tend to watch more television and read more books that are based on the paranormal and occult. Relationship of the study to your own life and personality: Paranormal belief is something that has intrigued me ever since I was a young child. You might say that I am a skeptical believer, as I like to think that everything that happens has a reason for taking place and there is usually a way to explain any situation that people might consider paranormal. I have had many strange experiences throughout my life that one might call paranormal and some I have had explanations for and others I have not. When I began reviewing the article, Paranormal Belief and Personality Traits, for this assignment I was in complete disagreement with the portion that stated that paranormal belief was synonymous with† psychological dysfunction ( i.e. psychotic, neurotic, and depressive. ) (Auton, Pope, Seeger) I found myself identifying with Carl Jung’s theories regarding the paranormal which are a sharp contrast to those presented in this article. I feel and have been categorized by the Big 5 assessment as an extrovert and I feel that this may be the reason why I am so skeptical about paranormal experiences. I tend to look for the rhyme and reason of things that I have experienced in my life and am very skeptical about everything including ghosts, ESP and religion. Whether my paranormal experiences have affected my life or personality has yet to be said, though, I feel that these experiences were most certainly not a symptom of psychopathology. References: Feist, J. & Feist, G. (2009). Theories of Personality (7th Edition). McGraw Hill. Carl jung; his theories on archetypes, dreams, and the collective unconscious. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. ucmeta. org/Pages/Articles/Dreaming/Carl-Jung-His-Theories-Archetypes-Dreams-Collective-Unconscious. phpÃ'Ž

Building Effective Teams & Daniels and Daniels

As part of determining the effectiveness of a team, the team’s performance needs to be carefully measured. However, measuring the performance of a traditional team, where all members work in the same place in a single location, is different from measuring the performance of that of a global-based team. There are many factors that need to be considered when it comes to these measurements. It is important that the differences be considered in order to create a fair measurement of each member’s performance.Daniels and Daniels (1993, p.  46) said that â€Å"establishing a global system of measuring performance allows alignment of global stages in the company so that any given individual employee knows at any given point in time how his/her performance is contributing to the global business objectives and strategy. † Being a member of a global-based team, there are certain skills that management would desire for the member to have in order to work effectively with t he team. These characteristics and skills need to be exhibited by the members and can be used to determine the performance of each member. The different skills are discussed briefly below. Diversity ToleranceGlobal-based teams would have members belonging to different races, different nationalities and culture. In short, the team is diversified when it comes to its members. For the members of this kind of team to work properly, each of them needs to understand the nature of the team and be willing to work with people from different countries. Teamwork Willingness As with any type of team, members should all be team players. Each team member should know how to cooperate and contribute to the success of the team in attaining its goals. Etiquette Work etiquette is very important especially in a team-based organization.Each member is expected to work with each other. Though the work ethics of each member may differ from the other, the general and standard rules should still be observed. Listening Skills This is a very important skill that any individual should possess, especially when working with teams. Listening to others means that you are respecting their views, thoughts and decisions. You may not totally agree with them but you are sending the message that you are welcoming the idea when you listen. This skill is also crucial for a team’s success. Stress Resistance Stress comes with any type of work.People get stressed due to pressure. But most of the people who are usually stressed are those that cannot manage their time wisely. It is important for a team and each member to have a good sense of time management in order to avoid getting stressed as it affects the performance and productivity of the whole team. Problem Solving and Conflict Handling One of the skills that a mature and experienced professional should have is the ability to handle most of the problems that may occur. Being able to make wise decisions to solve problems is desirable in any t eam structure.The diverse culture and nationalities of the members would also produce conflict more often than expected. Thus, it is important that each member of the team should be able to effectively handle these conflicts and come with resolutions that are amenable to everyone. To measure the performance of the team and its members in terms of the skills mentioned above, I would suggest having a balanced scorecard that encompasses all aspects of performance. The above skills are some of the competencies that each member should possess as an individual and would comprise 50% of the scorecard. The remaining 50% would be quantitative performance, i.e. adherence to the set metrics, and shareholder value. The first 50%, which are composed of the qualities described above, can be measured through peer feedback. Team members get to assess one another in terms of the above skills and rate each other accordingly. Of course, this is done anonymously. Feedback from other team members can re ally help in the assessment of each member’s performance in terms of the different qualities above. Other than peer feedback, managers and supervisors can also add their own observations of the member since there can be times that peer feedbacks become subjective.Another method of evaluating these skills, perhaps, is assessment through case study and defense. Members will be given a scenario, internal or external, that commonly happens in the business and the team and be asked to accomplish the goal described in the scenario. The scenario and the goal can be made to encompass all or most of the qualities stated above. Each member then submits a comprehensive answer and response to the case study. Managers can now evaluate each member’s capability based on the responses received. Each member will also be given the chance to defend his/her responses in a discussion with the supervisor.These performance measurement tools suggested may be presented to the upper management for approval. Perhaps, a sample feedback form and case assessment can be provided for the director to better appreciate the tools being suggested. Team and Individual Performance A team’s performance may be an indicating factor of how each member of the team works. Rewarding the team as a whole when a goal is accomplished is a good way to boost their confidence. However, each individual’s performance should also be rewarded accordingly. A team performing well as whole does not necessarily mean that every member is doing an exemplary job.If individual rewards are given to top performers, other members will also be motivated and be encouraged to work harder to also gain achievement and rewards. That would mean a much better performance that awaits the team. Analysis In my research for the above discussion on suggestions for performance measurement tools, I have come to realize that performance is not only measured in terms of what the member can do and how productive the member is. It is also important to assess different skills sets and competencies that relate to the way a member does the job and work with other people.Since in a global-based environment physical interaction may be very limited, the skills mentioned above would compensate for this and contribute to the overall success of the team. The skills mentioned above can actually be summarized into two major things: total respect for each other despite the differences and ability to work as a team with common goals. These things should be made known to the employees at the very start of building this kind of team. In fact, these skills should also be part of the qualifications in recruiting potential members of the team.With the skills mentioned above, there are some which are based on cultural differences such as diversity tolerance and conflict handling. These measurements can be better understood by the employees by explaining clearly to them the purpose of these measurement criteria. I t should be made clear to them that the purpose of these criteria is only to ensure that the employees are working well with each other despite of the differences and are able to resolve on their own the different conflicts that may exist among different members.These measurement tools can also assure them that there will be no bias on rewarding individuals just because of their cultural background; assessments will be done in an objective manner. References Daniels, J. L. & Daniels, C. N. (1993). Global Vision: Building New Models for the Corporation of the Future. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional. Mitchell, C. (2000). A Short Course in International Business Culture. Novato, CA: World Trade Press.

Mardi Gra Social Impact Study Essay

  Sydney has always been the destination of lesbian and gay tourists around the world to view this great spectacle at the South Pacific’s gay and lesbian capital. The Australian gay and lesbian tourism industry has always been on the go whenever the event comes into full view. The street parades and costume parties have always attracted tourists when compared to other events and affairs. Because of this, Sydney, the gay capital of the world, has changed from â€Å"an industrial port to a cosmopolitan, global capital increasingly dependent, for the last two to three decades, on an economy driven by consumption and leisure† (Markwell, 2002, p. 82). Therefore, it is evident that the Mardi Gra contributes solely on Australia’s tourism economy, as reflected in the paper that Kevin Markwell (2002) wrote. There are tensions and demands that leak from the Mardi Gras of Sydney, and the economic impacts of big events such as this cannot be completely ignored. Mardi Gras of Australia Localization as well as globalization can create a big impact on international events and issues that surround the nations. What Markwell (2002) has called localization-globalization dynamic refers to†¦ [T]he way in which a local, community event has challenged and overturned social mores and legislation at the state and national levels partly through its elevation to a national and international event. (Markwell, 2002, p. 83) This has an impact on the tourism industry, as it evades traditional mechanisms and instead, focuses more on the trend and movement of a certain population, creating an ever-increasing power while affecting government intervention and legislation. The tensions and demands of the Mardi Gras The first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gra parade happened on the 24th of June 1978 (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). However, what was supposed to be an enjoyable event became one that was close to disaster, as the celebration turned out to be a riot â€Å"with fifty-three people arrested and several alleging vicious assaults by police† (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). There was this tension of distinguishing what exactly was the purpose of that event, especially that there were records on concealed systematic oppression, homophobia, as well as discrimination (Markwell, 2002, p. 83). As of last year, there were approximately 10,000 people who joined the Mardi Gra of Sydney, marking the event as the biggest Mardi Gra event ever to be held in Australia (Organizers say, 2008, p. 1). According to AAP General News Wire, â€Å"Crowds of up to 300,000 people are expected to line the central city route to watch the procession of themed floats, drag queens and many more costumed and flesh-revealing revelers† (Organizers say, 2008, p. 1). To avoid unwanted riots and insurgencies, 80 military personnel and defense force employees marched among the crowds. As stated, â€Å"Those charged will face a range of offenses including affray, assault police, possessing prohibited drugs, assault, and resisting arrest† (Mother Nature, 2007, p. 1). The demand of cleaning human debris is another demand, in addition to the demand of controlling 4,000 gays and lesbians in the event that triggered an economic relief of about $500,000 in the local economy (Bathersby, 2008, p. 1). The economic impact of Mardi Gras In the economy of New Orleans, there is a report that the chosen event can generate more than $1 billion in annual spending, benefiting the economy and the tourism industry of the state (Mardi Gras questions and answers, 2009, p. 1). Noosa, on the other hand, will have poured about $500,000 last year as stated above (Bathersby, 2008, p. 1). By March 2009, they earned about $300,000, as stated in the report (Lander, 2009, p. 1). It is therefore, apparent that this year is approximately 60% less the earned revenue of last year. Nevertheless, it still is helpful to the economy, earning in New South Wales an amount of about $100,000 million each year in the area of tourism (Santow, 2002, p. 1). Each state or nation earns different amounts each year, depending on the state of tourism of that state or nation. According to Simon Santow (2002) however, [T]he Mardi Gras is suffering from a combination of increased costs and falling revenue, at a time when, ironically, there’s been no significant drop in public interest. Unless half a million dollars is found, the organization could place itself in voluntary administration, so the call has gone out for some emergency funding from the state and federal governments [of Sydney]. (Santow, 2002, p. 1) The government issues the permits in parades such as these, but there are economic impacts on big events, such as the Mardi Gras events. Focusing on the economic impact of big events In a paper that Larry Dwyer, Robert Mellor, Nina Mistilis, and Trevor Mules (2000) wrote, they stated that, as the state government receives requests in funding special events and conventions (such as the Mardi Gra), the government focuses mainly on the alleged positive impacts of these events, especially the overall economic impact. There is a framework developed by the state of New South Wales in Australia used to estimate the economic impacts of events and conventions. This is done by using â€Å"accurate and uniform set of events or conventions expenditure as input into the forecasting model† (Dwyer, Mellor, Mistilis, & Mules, 2000, pp. 191-192). Forecasting event-related expenditure is done by the following these steps: first is to estimate the number of inscope visitors; second is to estimate the inscope expenditure of visitors; third is to estimate inscope expenditure of organizers, participants, teams, and media; fourth is to estimate total event related inscope expenditure; fifth is to apply multipliers to estimate economic impacts; sixth is to estimate media impacts; seventh is to estimate fiscal impacts; eighth and final is the recognition of intangible costs and benefits (Dwyer et al. , 2000, pp. 192-194).Mardi Gra is a big event, and it covers some impacts on the economy and the society, as it affects the lives of people there and abroad. References Bathersby, D. (2008, March 2). Noosa set for pink invasion. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com. au/news/2008/mar/02/noosa-set-pink-invasion/. Brown, A. L. (2009, February 27). Mardi Gras boost. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com.au/news/2009/feb/27/mardi-gras-revellers-coast-boost/. Dwyer, L. , Mellor, R. , Mistilis, N. , & Mules, T. (2000). Forecasting the economic impacts of events and conventions. Event Management, 6, 191-204. Lander, A. (2009, March 9). Mardi Gras recovery on the coast. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The Daily database: http://www. thedaily. com. au/news/2009/mar/09/mardi-gras-recovery-coast/. Mardi Gras questions and answers. (2009). Retrieved April 9, 2009, from the Compucast Interactive database: http://www.mardigrasneworleans. com/faq. html. Markwell, K. (2002). Mardi Gras tourism and the construction of Sydney as an international gay and lesbian city. GLQ, 8, 1, 81-99. Mother Nature to star Sydney gay parade. (2007, day). NSW, p. 1. Organizers say Mardi Gras will be biggest ever. (2008, day). NSW, p. 1. Santow, S. (2002, August 1). Mardi Gras in danger. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from The World Today Archive of the ABC database: http://www. abc. net. au/worldtoday/stories/s637685. htm.