Anatomy essays

Anatomy essays The esophagus is a strait tube about 25 centimeters long. Its function is to provide a passageway for substances from the pharynx to the stomach. It penetrates the diaphragm through an opening and is continuous with the stomach on the abdominal side. Circular muscle fibers at the distal end help prevent the regurgitation of food from the stomach. The liver is located in the upper right and central portions of the abdominal cavity, just below the diaphragm and is partially surrounded by the ribs. It is reddish brown in color and well supplied with blood vessels. The functions of the liver include maintaining the normal concentration of blood glucose. The livers effects on lipid metabolism include oxidizing fatty acids at an especially high rate. The liver also deaminates amino acids, synthesizing various blood proteins, including several that are necessary for blood clotting. The large intestine is divided into 4 sections-the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colons. The large intestine has little or no digestive function unlike the small intestine, however it secretes mucus. The rate of mucus secretion is controlled by mechanical stimulation and parasympathetic impulses. The absorption into the large intestine is generally limited to water and electrolytes. Many bacteria inhabit the large intestine and may help the body by synthesizing certain vitamins. The stomach is divided into cardiac, fundic body, and pyloric regions. The stomach receives food, mixes it with gastric juice, carries on a limited amount of absorption, and moves food into small intestine. ...

Gutierrez Surname Meaning and Origin

Gutierrez Surname Meaning and Origin Gutierrez is a patronymic name meaning son of Gutierre (son of Walter). Gutierre is a given name meaning he who rules. Gutierrez is the 24th most common Hispanic surname. Surname Origin Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings GUTIERRES, GUTERREZ, GUTERRES, GUTEREZ, GUTERES, BUTIERREZ, BUTIERRES Famous People With the Surname GUTIERREZ Richard Gutierrez - Filipino film and television actor and commercial modelRuffa Gutierrez - Filipina actress, model and beauty queen, Ms. WorldSidney M. Gutierrez - retired USAF colonel and NASA astronaut Genealogy Resources for the Surname GUTIERREZ: 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Gutierrez Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Gutierrez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Gutierrez query. FamilySearch - GUTIERREZ GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Gutierrez surname and its variations. GUTIERREZ Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Gutierrez surname. Cousin Connect - GUTIERREZ Genealogy QueriesRead or post genealogy queries for the surname Gutierrez, and sign up for free notification when new Gutierrez queries are added. DistantCousin.com - GUTIERREZ Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Gutierrez. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

The effect of smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

The effect of smoking - Essay Example Excessive smoking leads to discoloring of the smokers teeth where they turn brown or yellow in color. This is an effect that may not be realized in the early smoking stages, but it becomes observable over the years. Smoking can as well ruin the finances of an individual. Smokers tend to ignore their basic expenses thus giving preference to expenditure on cigarettes. To curb this surging problem, certain nations have increased taxes on cigarettes. This increased the prices of the cigarettes making it unaffordable to smokers. This has led to an increase in spending on cigarette smoking as the smokers continue to smoke the same number of cigarettes in a day. Cigarettes smoking increased the risk of heart attacks and lung cancers. The tar in the tobacco coats the lungs forming soot that eventually lead to development of lung cancer. Heart attacks are associated with the increase in the rate of the heart rate which strains the heart and the blood vessels (Graves, 34). This thus has a profound effect on the heart which may lead to heart attacks. These are some of the reasons due to which smokers should quit smoking and engage in more productive and healthy activities. The harmful effects of smoking on the smokers are staggering. Unless the smokers quit they will be exposed to these hazardous effects which may even lead to their early

Reasons for the Increasing Divorce Rates in America Essay

Reasons for the Increasing Divorce Rates in America - Essay Example This paper briefly analyses various reasons for the increased divorce rates in America.    Money is believed to be one of the major reasons for causing divorce. Couples may have different views, opinions, and perceptions about the spending of money. Suppose Mr. X has lavish spending habits. He may not worry much about saving money for the future needs of the family. He may spend whatever he earns and may not bother much about saving something for future expenses like the education of his children. On the other hand, Mrs. X could be more interested in saving money for the future by reducing the unnecessary expenditure since she was more aware of future needs. It is quite possible that conflicts develop in such families and these contrasting views about money spending may finally lead them towards a divorce. Alcohol addiction or drug addiction is another major reason for divorce. As stated in the earlier example, suppose Mr. X is addicted to alcohol or drugs. It is difficult for Mrs. X to adjust with such habits of her husband, even if she is more liberal and modern in her thoughts. Addiction can lead Mr. X towards a crazy life and sometimes he may abuse his wife or children. It is difficult for a modern woman to sacrifice her entire life for an addicted husband. Mrs. X may wait for some time, in anticipation that her husband may rectify his mistake sooner than later; however, if Mr. X has no plans to get rid of his bad habits, Mrs. X may file the divorce petition. The third possible reasons for divorce could be sexual problems. Either the husband or the wife may have more interests in sexual activities. Sex is a divine activity which should be performed on mutual consent. Sometimes the husband or the wife may have over interests in sexual activities and he/she may force his/her partner for sexual activities without considering the interests of the partner. In some cases, either of them may force the partner to engage in unnatural sexual activities which may develop displeasure and thoughts about divorce. Extramarital affairs could be another possible reason for divorce. The strength of family life lies in mutual love and trust.  

Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio Essay

Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio - Essay Example Giovanni Boccaccio spent his boyhood in the hills about Settignago in the woods above the Mensola and the valley of the Affrico. There is little information available regarding his early years. According to the writings of Giovanni , he was able to read and write at the age of seven, further with Giovanni di Domenico Mazzuoli da Strada he began the study of grammar. (Hutton, E. 12) After that Giovanni was set to study Mathematics and the more he knew about accounting and bookkeeping, the more he hated it. Still hoping to see the son prosperous in a classical way, Giovanni’s father sent him Naples to become a merchant. Giovanni writes later, that â€Å"If my father had dealt wisely with me I might have been among the great poets.† (Hutton, E. 19) Either this way or the other, Giovanni ended up studying law, which, as it seems, he enjoyed no more then banking. The studying of the law allowed him to establish good contact with students. Humanists Barbato da Sulmona and Gio vanni Barrili, and the theologian Dionigi da San Sepolcro should be emphasized when it comes to speaking about the early influences of Boccaccio. Giovanni managed to put up with his stepmother until the moment, when she gave birth to his stepbrother – Francesco. The reflections of Giovanni back on his childhood seem to be filled with grief and sorrow. (Hutton, E. 15-20). Boccaccio saw Maria d'Acquino, a married woman and natural daughter of King Robert, in 1334 for the first time. The woman was the inspiration of his early works, once coming into his life, she never left him. The golden hair, shining eyes, and the milk-white skin, her love was the greatest prize of his youth. (Hutton, E. 30) Even though the fact that Boccaccio found his inspiration in a woman can hardly be doubted, still there is no documental proof that Maria ever existed and was not a product of wild imagination of one of the greatest writers that had ever existed. The reason why particular consideration sh ould be given to the early years of Boccaccio and his first romantic love is that these events pre-determined his further life. Maria introduced Boccaccio to court and merged him to write. 2. Petrarch: Lifelong Friend and Teacher After being called by father back to Florence in 1341, Boccaccio met his lifelong friend and master Petrarch. Undoubtedly, ever since the moment in 1350, when Boccaccio met Petrarch, he was under his influence. This resulted in a

Industrial Revolution and Social Security

Industrial Revolution and Social Security Strengthen Social Security Up until the Industrial Revolution, economic security for most people was maintained by working until old age and then being taken care of by ones’ children and family members. This type of economic uncertainty drastically changed when President Roosevelt pushed for and signed into law the Social Security Act of 1935. During the ceremony for Social Security Act’s signing, President Roosevelt stated that it is â€Å"a law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide for the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness† (Roosevelt, 1935). Roosevelt also states in his speech that while the program is not a safeguard against all economic problems in our future, we do need it to protect our citizens who are or would be unable to work. Since President Roosevelt passed the Social Security Act, there has been much debate in reforming Social Security with many seeking privatization of the program. This paper aims to show why we should not privatize Social Security but, rather, search for alternative means to strengthen it. We need to strengthen Social Security because it has and still protects future benefits against inflation, has proven to reduce poverty for our elderly, and is efficiently and soundly administered. Social Security appears quite similar to an employer-sponsored pension plan on the surface, but they are inherently different. The program calls for individuals to put part of their income aside in the form of a payroll tax while working in which they would receive monthly payments upon retirement. Balancing equity and adequacy is the primary benefit of Social Security. Equity allows people to receive more of what they put into Social Security. Hence, people with higher incomes would also put more into the program and also receive more benefits upon retirement. The Social Security plan, under the system of adequacy, dismisses periods of low income such as when a worker becomes disabled or unemployed. Instead, it uses an increased ratio of income for the poor than the wealthy. In addition, Social Security benefits are indexed against uncertainties regarding length of life and inflation and has proven to be America’s most beneficial program against poverty (Goda, 2011, pg.1). If we privatize Social Security, we would surely erode the basis of ensuring a sufficient base income for people whove struggled their whole lives. Low-income workers would not be able to make enough money to invest into their accounts in order to maintain their standard living for when they choose to retire (Heiger, 1997). Also at a larger risk to poverty during their old age are the people in the middle-class. They would not get equal returns because of the inherent nature of the financial markets, and those who receive negative returns would not be able to survive from other sources (Heiger, 1997). The financial markets fluctuate up and down, and some people would retire with meager returns during long economic downturns such as the Great Recession of 2009. For those who live to be very old, some well into their 80’s and 90’s, they would just outlive their investments. For example, if they dumped their savings into investment vehicles such as annuities during their r etirement, those investments would be greatly reduced by inflation the longer they live. Before Social Security, the highest rates of poverty were in the elderly age group. People dont realize these days that the program had reduced the poverty of elderly Americans from 35 percent to about 10 percent (National, 2012). This percentage falls under the 12 percent value of the American population (Poverty, 2013). Social Security provides for the potentially destitute millions of American elderly, who are no longer able to work and in retirement, the financial stability they need to sustain their lives. Since the elderly do not have to depend on their working children, Social Security also provides an indirect benefit to their off springs. There are two other benefits in which Social Security provides to people under age 65. The first benefit is income during long-term disability and income for a worker’s dependents who die before their retirement (ProCon.org, 2014). This type of benefit also doesn’t carry the stigma of similar programs such as welfare. For middle-class workers that have employer-sponsored retirement programs, Social Security was never meant be a singular source of income during retirement. Social Security’s value is clear when looking at it as a means of income of a retirement investment group. The benefits from Social Security maintain their worth since they are adjusted for the annual cost-of-living while other types of investment assets get eaten away and used up as a person becomes older into retirement. In addition, workers will come to acquire greater individual risks as companies continue to move away from pensions towards 401(k) plans and other types of programs with unreliable payouts (Cammack, 2012). Against that backdrop, the Social Security program carries much more protection against the sway of the economic markets. To denationalize Social Security would be to allow Americans the choice to withhold a small percentage of their pay as an investing into individual accounts, keyword being choice. So what is wrong with giving workers the choice to opt-in or not? This type of reform brings with it steep reductions for the younger workers who elect to stay in the program (Heiger, 1997). Wealthy individuals and workers who have higher incomes would not want to participate in the program but rather â€Å"choose the market-based system† (Heiger, 1997). While it may appear to be a choice, privatizing Social Security would make it such a bad investment for high-income people. They would just all bail out, so they don’t have to invest their earnings to balance the pool for the low-income workers’ retirement pensions (Heiger, 1997). In essence, without universal participation, the financially less-well off would be left to fend for themselves† (Heiger, 1997). There would be a gaping hole of future benefits for low income funders who choose to remain in the program, and this would completely defeat the purpose of the program and eventually dissolve it. The participation of individuals from all income brackets is the reason Social Security works and is sustainable. The program will be similar to welfare if the wealthy and high-income individuals choose to not participate. The participation of individuals from all age groups is another reason Social Security (Rose, 1990). For years now, the retirees of the program were paid by the taxes from workers which is the entire the basis of Social Security. Those workers would, in turn, be paid by the taxes in the next generation of workers for their Social Security retirement benefits. However, in 1983, an increase in age limit for benefits eligibility in addition to payroll taxes being increased were amended to the Social Security Act (Social, 2014). The tax increase brought in surplus money, more than the amount needed to maintain the Social Security benefits at the time. The purpose of the increase â€Å"was to have the Boomers prepay part of their old age benefits† (Johnston, 2012 , pp. 10). The extra money generated from the increased taxes were also used to â€Å"pay off federal debt† and purchase Treasury bonds (Johnston, 2012, pp 10). Essential, the government was lending itself money. This act generated controversy among proponents of Social Security privatization yet it is the same as workers using the money to buy the bonds themselves. The government is required to pay back what it owes and in this case, â€Å"Social Security is virtually risk-free because it is backed by the full faith and credit of the government† (Heiger, 1997). In the end, this principally articulates that the program’s future recipients need the taxes of the workers who come after them to keep the Social Security benefits ongoing. Since its inception, many people such as former Kansas Governor Alf Landon had outspoken views against Social Security (Landon, 1936). Landon and critics of Social Security have argued that the program is a fraud and that the overhead costs are too high to sustain the program. However, the program itself has only seen reductions in administrative expenses year after year and as of 2013 accounted for only 0.7% of the fund’s total expenditures (Kunkel, 2013). This percentage is still below the costs of the average 401(k) fees of 0.72% per year, with highs close to 2% per year, charged by plan administrators (Deloitte, 2009). With such a low overhead cost over private plan administration, the government clearly shows how efficiently it administers the Social Security program. Social Security has definitely provided Americans protection against destitution with adequate supplemental income and allowed people who have worked their entire lives to maintain their standard of living during retirement. While Social Security has undergone many reforms and continues to need improvement, privatization is not the key. In its proven history of increasing efficient, decreasing the poverty of our elderly, and hedging benefits against inflation, Social Security must continue to be strengthened with centralized government policies and administration. To privatize Social Security, to fundamentally take it away from the whole of our nation’s people, would be unconstitutional. Works Cited Cammack, R. (2012, January 5). From defined benefit to defined contribution: a systematic approach to transitioning retirement plans. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/transitioningplans.aspx Deloitte. (2009). Inside the Structure of Defined Contribution / 401(k) Plan Fees: A Study Assessing the Mechanics of What Drives the All-In Fee. Defined Contribution/401(k) Fee Study. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.ici.org/pdf/rpt_09_dc_401k_fee_study.pdf Goda, G. S., Shoven, J. B., Slavov, S. N. (2011). HOW WELL ARE SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS PROTECTED FROM INFLATION?National Tax Journal,64(2), 429-449. Retrieved October 1, 2014 from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/871907293?accountid=3783 Heiger, M., Shipman, W. (1997, July 22). Common objections to a market-based social security system: A response. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.cato.org/pubs/ssps/ssp10.html Johnston, D. C. (2012, May 12). Social Security is not going broke. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-johnston/2012/05/04/social-security-is-not-going-broke/ Works Cited Kennedy, D. M. (2010). A NEW DEAL COMPROMISED.American Heritage,60(2), 26-28. Kunkel, S. (2013, January 28). Social Security Administrative Expenses. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/admin.html Landon, A. M. (1936). I Will Not Promise the Moon: ECONOMIC SECURITY, ADMINISTRATION BILL, REPUBLICAN PROPOSAL.Vital Speeches Of The Day,3(1), 26. Poverty. (2013). InThe encyclopedia of elder care: The comprehensive resource on geriatric health and social care. Retrieved October 1, 2014 from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?qurl=http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/content/entry/spenelderc/poverty/0 ProCon.org, Social Security. (2013, September 12). Privatizing Social Security Pros and Cons [Press release]. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://socialsecurity.procon.org/#Background Roosevelt, F. D. (Writer). (1935, August 14). FDR Social Security Act Speech [Television broadcast]. In FDR Social Security Act Speech. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from https://archive.org/details/fdrbig Rose, N. E. (1989). Work relief in the 1930s and the origins of the social security act.Social Service Review,63(1), 63. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1290931445?accountid=3783 Works Cited Social Security (United States). (2014, October 1). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:28, October 1, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_Security_(United_States)oldid=629217299

Urban Legend of the Goatman of Beltsville, Maryland :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Goatman of Beltsville, Maryland The storyteller told the story of the Goatman from Beltsville story to me. On a summer night in 2005, she and her friend were driving back from a mall. Her friend took a shortcut home to Beltsville, Maryland by way of Callington Road Bridge. While on this shortcut home, her friend stopped the car on the side of road and turned off the headlights. She proceeded to tell the interviewee the story of the Goatman, emphasizing its truthfulness the entire time. After she heard the story, the interviewee never drove across Callington Road Bridge again. The storyteller told me the story of the Goatman in a mutual friend’s dorm room at night. I had come to the dorm room to ask my friend if he knew any urban legends of ghost stories from around campus or the state of Maryland. The storyteller, a 21-year-old biology major, shouted excitedly from the couch that she knew one. She is from Beltsville, Maryland. Her mother is a lawyer and her father is a math professor. My friend and I sat down on the couch and listened intently as she told the story: The Goatman from Beltsville. In the 1970s, a crazy doctor did a genetic experiment. The doctor bred a goat with a human by fusing the two embryos. A baby was born half human and half goat. It had horns, really thick hair on its face, a tail, sharp teeth, and a temper. The deformed baby grew into a really gross guy. As Goatman grew older he became more and more violent until finally the doctor kicked him out. After that, the Goatman retreated into the forest to live. He eats cats and dogs as his main source of food, and from time to time he eats humans walking alone at night along this one road commonly known as Goatman Hallow (Callington Road Bridge). Goatman is bloodthirsty, fearless, and always on the prowl. Sometimes he wanders into people’s back yards and eats their pets. Owners will find their pets the next day with only the carcasses remaining. Kids are warned not to take the shortcut home through the forest because Goatman might eat them. One time a few kids took the shortcut home at night and this one kid fell behind.

The Big Green Arm Chair

The Big Green Armchair a) i. The mood of the setting ii. â€Å"Staring into the grim winter/ Only slate – grey skies† iii. The author uses adjectives like â€Å"grim† and â€Å"slate – grey† to describe the winter’s day, which conveys a very dull and dreary mood. The author compares the grim winter’s day and the dull mood to the old woman. This helps the reader understand how the woman is feeling. b) The author creates a dull mood by describing in detail what the old woman sees outside the window. Staring into the grim winter, she sees no flowering plants. There are no colours, only slate – grey skies and bare, brown trunks. There are no buzzing cicadas or cheeky kookaburras singing and darting between the trees. This shows the reader that the old woman misses this time of the year. The use of repetition â€Å"There are no colors/ There are no buzzing cicadas†¦ † The use of repetition â€Å"There are no colors/ Ther e are no buzzing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  emphasizes the dullness of mood.This descriptive style of writing makes the reader picture the dull and gray setting and the old woman looking out of the window. c) The author writes in third person and uses past tense half way through the text which creates a nostalgic feeling which the old woman is going through. The use of adjectives and descriptive sentences like â€Å"summer was bright and lively† and â€Å"ruby red gerberas burst through the green gardens and purple flowers blanketed the huge jacaranda tree†, adds to the nostalgia and creates imagery.The author makes the reader visualize the bright sun and the blooming flowers. The use of sensory descriptive words like â€Å"the smell of meat sizzling on the barbeque lingered in the air† and â€Å"eating mouthwatering prawns† makes the reader imagine the smell of the barbequed meat and the taste of the prawns. This shows that the old woman misses those days and that th ose days are now memories that make her happy and comfort her.

Free Essays on The Gods Must Be Crazy

In their mythology, God created all of southern Africa for the San (Bushmen). Then he created the San, and then he created the San’s animals for and even from the San. They believe God left them to guard it all, which they did for years, until we (the more advanced people) arrived. The Bushmen are the world’s oldest surviving pragmatic environmentalists. The Bushmen are some of the last nomadic hunter-gatherers on earth. But let’s not forget that before the start of the Agricultural Revolution, all humans were hunters-gatherers. The Agricultural Revolution entailed humans first discovering the technology of domesticating plants and/or animals. The result was mankind becoming more sedentary vs. nomadic. This led to a significant increase in our population growth. At the start of the Agricultural Revolution, the Bushmen had all of Africa up to the southern edge of the Sahara, except for the Pygmies occupying the Congo, and the Bantu black having only the western most west of Africa. The majority of the Sans were ethnically cleansed for their land in South Africa by the Dutch who landed in 1652, invading from the south, and by the Zulus and other black migrating from the north. By 1890, the last of the Bushmen had been exterminated in South Africa, leaving only their haunting rock paintings and a few of their genes. The last of the Bushmen survived into the 20th century only in the world’s fourth largest desert, the Kalahari, despite the bounty on their heads in the early 1900’s. This was simply because it was a harsh daunting land avoided by all others. The Bushmen learned to live despite there being no surface water. The 70,000 or so Kalahari Bushmen that survive today are in Botswana, Namibia and a few in Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The various Bushmen groups live in the desert areas of Namibia, Botswana and Angola. The Bushmen, originally known as the Sans, were given their name by the Dutch in South Africa. Eve... Free Essays on The Gods Must Be Crazy Free Essays on The Gods Must Be Crazy In their mythology, God created all of southern Africa for the San (Bushmen). Then he created the San, and then he created the San’s animals for and even from the San. They believe God left them to guard it all, which they did for years, until we (the more advanced people) arrived. The Bushmen are the world’s oldest surviving pragmatic environmentalists. The Bushmen are some of the last nomadic hunter-gatherers on earth. But let’s not forget that before the start of the Agricultural Revolution, all humans were hunters-gatherers. The Agricultural Revolution entailed humans first discovering the technology of domesticating plants and/or animals. The result was mankind becoming more sedentary vs. nomadic. This led to a significant increase in our population growth. At the start of the Agricultural Revolution, the Bushmen had all of Africa up to the southern edge of the Sahara, except for the Pygmies occupying the Congo, and the Bantu black having only the western most west of Africa. The majority of the Sans were ethnically cleansed for their land in South Africa by the Dutch who landed in 1652, invading from the south, and by the Zulus and other black migrating from the north. By 1890, the last of the Bushmen had been exterminated in South Africa, leaving only their haunting rock paintings and a few of their genes. The last of the Bushmen survived into the 20th century only in the world’s fourth largest desert, the Kalahari, despite the bounty on their heads in the early 1900’s. This was simply because it was a harsh daunting land avoided by all others. The Bushmen learned to live despite there being no surface water. The 70,000 or so Kalahari Bushmen that survive today are in Botswana, Namibia and a few in Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The various Bushmen groups live in the desert areas of Namibia, Botswana and Angola. The Bushmen, originally known as the Sans, were given their name by the Dutch in South Africa. Eve...

Therapeutic Relationship Essay Example

Therapeutic Relationship Essay Example Therapeutic Relationship Paper Therapeutic Relationship Paper Person centred counselling originated and was evolved on the ideas of American psychologist Carl Rogers. The influences on Carl Rogers and he’s conceptualisation of Person centred counselling are numerous, from his early family life living on a farm, his interest and involvement in theology and his formative professional career. One incident which appears to have had a particular impact on Carl Rogers was when working in his first job as a psychologist, at Rochester New York, for an organisation for the prevention of cruelty to children, whilst working with a parent (Kirshenbaum H, et al. 1989). At this stage in his career Carl Rogers, being trained in or influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis, was essentially working in a diagnostic and interpretative way, helping a child or parent gain insight or an intellectual understanding of their own behaviour and what was unconsciously driving or motivating it (Thorne B 2002) . He formalised that the problem with the child stemmed from the Mother’s rejection of the child in his early years. But despite a number of sessions was unable to help the Mother gain this insight. He concluded that it wasn’t working and finally gave up. The Mother was leaving when she asked Carl Rogers if he takes adults for counselling. He began working with the mother, where she subsequently expressed her despair of unhappiness and feelings of failure, which was more emotive and authentic in expression, than the previously intellectual and matter of fact account given previously of her history and current life. Carl Rogers said that ‘real therapy’ began at this moment and concluded in a successful outcome (Kirshenbaum H, et al. 1990). This is Carl Roger’s view and what he learned from this experience: â€Å"This incident was one of a number which helped me to experience the fact- only fully realized later- that is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried. It began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would do better to rely upon the client for the direction of movement in the process†. (Kirshenbaum H, et al. 1990 p13). This statement is arguably the beginnings of what, in many ways would later define and becomes a way of working within person centred therapy – that is a therapy that allows the client to be whom the client is, without any active direction from the therapist. Carl Rogers through clinical experience, research and development later defined his model of therapy. He based it upon the principles of a person as having at it’s a core an instinctive tendency towards growth, to fulfilling their potential as a person in what he termed ‘self actualisation’ (Mearns D, et al.1988). Carl Rogers believed that every living organism has a desire to increase, widen and broaden. Essentially, a fundamental urge to improve upon itself and that although, in the case of human beings, this urge may be buried or hidden by multiple psychological structures and conflicts, he strongly believed in the existence of this actualisation tendency in all of us and that given the correct conditions, it could be freed and realised in all of us (Rogers C 1961- becoming a person). Personally, I have recognised a need to develop and grow within myself for sometime and this has again been highlighted to me during this term. The more I become aware of my insecurities and pre judgements, the greater the desire to become bigger than them only becomes more apparent to me. Through my clinical experience working with adults with mental health problems, I have certainly recognised a desire in many, to become bigger or more than their issues, although, I am not certain if that was a desire to escape from their often intolerable suffering, or a fundamental need to self actualise†¦ at the very least, I would suggest self actualisation is an entirely relative supposition and will differ from person to person, dependent upon their own experiences, circumstances and perhaps even expectations. These correct conditions which are required within person centred therapy in order that the client can achieve self actualisation and personality change were outlined by Carl Rogers and he believed that if this 6 conditions were met, it would facilitate change within the client: Two persons are in psychological contact- both client and counsellor are present physically and psychologically. The client is in a state of incongruence, (which will be discussed in more detail) the communication of the counsellor’s empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard is met at a minimal level. The last condition mentioned involves 3 other conditions, which are essential attitudes and qualities necessary for the counsellor to posses for successful therapy; empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard and congruence. (Rogers C, 1957). Before looking at the latter 3 in more detail, it is important to understand Carl Rogers’s view of the person and perhaps what is ultimately bringing the client to therapy. Carl Rogers believed that there is incongruence between the self that is the actualisation part, that has a desire to grow, is open to experiencing in the moment and ultimately psychological well being and the actual experience of the self. He believed this effect was caused by ‘conditions of worth’, by external expectations, such as by parents and teachers, i. e. if you behave in a certain way that pleases me, that perhaps doesn’t evoke anxieties in me, you are a good boy- there are certain ‘conditions’ attached to being in this relationship- the child tries to internalise these conditions in order to maintain the relationship (Mearns D 1994- developing PC). Consequently, people deny or distort the experiences to their selves, which differ to how we are supposed or are conditioned to be. Therefore, Carl Rogers believed that we begin to believe in what we are not and refute who we really are (Mearns D 1994). The person has a fixed and inflexible view, or self concept (Rogers C 1980). It’s almost as if the person is driven in implementing or adopting certain behaviours in order to be accepted or loved and denying, or at the cost of their true self and feelings. This is the state of incongruence Rogers was referring as apart of the necessary conditions. Carl Rogers recognised, through his development of this approach, that distinctive and essential qualities are necessary within the therapist, for successful therapy and to facilitate character change. The emphasis being on the therapist’s attitude towards the client, as opposed to any technical skills or interventions, in comparison to many other modalities. As already mentioned, the key attitudes or qualities being empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard (Rogers C 1980). Empathy can be considered as having an ability to perceive and understand in the other person their feelings, experiences and their meaning to that person. To understand the internal world of that person, to be fully aware of the feelings they are experiencing, their anger or sadness for example, as if they are your own, but being aware that they are the clients, in order that your own feelings do not become the focus or blur the clients own experiencing (Rogers C, 1957). To absolutely see from the clients view, the feelings they may have from their position or personal experiencing, but recognising them as separate from your own. I recall a moment during this term, when in skills practise, being in the ‘client role’, when I received empathy. I was speaking about a personal situation, which I was aware on some level had meaning to me, but wasn’t fully aware of, or experiencing the feelings relating to this meaning. My perception later was that the person listened so intently, was so with me in trying to make sense of my situation, that they really did know and fully understand how it must feel for me. It was almost if I had no choice in allowing my feelings to be present, to come to my awareness and I was left with a sense of loss, feelings of loss, that I wasn’t aware of and made tremendous sense to my circumstances and why I had some anxiety and confusion in relation to this particular issue. This highlights for me how powerful empathy can be, as well as actively listening to and showing an interest sufficient in trying to understand the client, but also how it has the potential to provoke in the client in becoming aware of hidden feelings or realisations. Unconditional positive regard (UPR) is another important aspect and described as having total acceptance of the client, without conditions, whoever and whatever the client is, or how they may behave. An acceptance of not what they may or could be, but as they are now, regardless of what desired qualities the counsellor may wish for. It means total respect and valuing the person, without judgement. It also involves a sense of genuine care and wanting the best for them, including warmth for the person (Rogers C 1961). David Mearns talks about the often confusion in trainees, when understanding UPR, with a statement such as, ‘how is it possible to like all my clients’? He makes a distinction that liking is generally selective, as we perceive a similarity in values and complementary needs and UPR and liking are two very different concepts (Mearns D 1994). Unconditional positive regard is completely about valuing the person, without conditions, with all the facets of the person, their struggles, protective layers, confusion and perhaps inconsistencies. This unconditional stance is a contradiction to the conditions of worth spoken of earlier and is a vital component of person centred counselling (Kulewicz S, 1989). If a client is holding a believe that they will only be accepted, depending on the condition of others, essentially they do not see themselves as being wholly acceptable. The stance and communication of UPR can break this believe and the client is able to be in a relationship, with the counsellor accepting them without conditions (Rogers C 1961). If the counsellor is consistently valuing the client, the client perhaps has no reason for the protective layers and can be more open to their own inner experiences. Also, I wonder if the counsellor is almost giving permission and communicating a message to the client that it is ok to accept who they truly are. Another essential attitude for the counsellor, recognised by Rogers is congruence. This is the counsellor being who they are, no facade or ‘professional’ barrier. The counsellor is open and genuine in the relationship, allowing all feelings and thoughts to be in his awareness and available to him (Rogers C 1961). It’s being present with yourself and owning your feelings, not necessarily expressing what you are experiencing at the time to the client, but also not denying it. How congruence is conveyed is ultimately depended upon the counsellor themselves and when appropriate. It is about allowing a trust to be formed with the client, without pretences, where the counsellor is being human and willing to be seen (Thorne B 2002). If the counsellor is willing to acknowledge his feelings, strengths, perhaps their mistakes or weakness, it can not only allow for a more open and flowing relationship, but again I see this as perhaps giving permission to the client to embrace themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. How this differs from a helping relationship, are mainly the quality of contact and the nature of the differences in relationship. What if our client seeks help from a non person centred counsellor, perhaps a professionally respected person, a Doctor, teacher, perhaps even a work place manager, or colleague. They will listen, perhaps are sympathetic, are likely to offer advice and some direction the person may take in order to resolve their problem. But there is no ongoing process, no consistency of a relationship, with all the qualities discussed, empathy, UPR and congruence. The person centred therapist offers a safe and non judgemental relationship, with the client being valued for who they are, where they can grow in understanding of themselves, gain insight and become psychological stronger and independent. A helping relationship, although perhaps useful and supportive, will not facilitate change and allow a person to grow. In conclusion, person centred therapy is about an effective relationship, or aspires to be one, in which a person through experiencing a positive connection with another person, namely the therapist, receives deep empathy, understanding and genuine care. This enables a person to question or challenge their self concepts, to begin to experience buried or hidden feelings and gain a deeper understanding of themselves, with more acceptances and the autonomy to live without fear of their own feelings and perhaps their truer selves. It is without any difficulty from me to admire the sheer humanity of what Carl Rogers achieved with person centred therapy, the whole ethos of accepting and allowing the person to grow through such a positive and caring relationship. It appears to me that this is an incredibly challenging model of therapy, for both client and therapist. For the client the person centred therapist may appear safe and accepting, even inoffensive or unchallenging to his protective mechanisms or fixed self concepts, but that is perhaps the greatest challenge to the client, who may want answers or ways of dealing with their issues, perhaps unbearable anxiety and will perhaps look to the therapist for solutions and will find the person centred therapist completely and deeply sharing their distress, but essentially leaving it with client to be able to tolerate and accept for themselves, with of course as discussed, with the intention for the client to grow, understand the meaning behind their distress and ultimately in becoming psychologically independent. I would imagine, at least initially or in the short term, it must be difficult for the client, who is still searching and looking outside of himself, for the apparent safety and false ‘conditions’ that will make it all well again. For the therapist, the challenge is potentially numerous, but what I recognise is the trust he must have in the process of person centred therapy, in maintaining all the attitudes as discussed and consistently so. I can see that taking great strength and discipline, when he could perhaps temptingly turn to direction and advice giving. I am also left wondering if the strengths within PC therapy are also its weaknesses. The quality of therapy can only be as effective as the quality of therapist, or the limitations of the therapist. This could be said of other therapies, but for example, the CBT therapist has a direction and structure to fall back on. The challenge to the PC therapist is to be constantly growing and developing, as there is such a dependence upon who they are in the relationship. References: Kirshenbaum, H. and Henderson, V. L. (1989) The Carl Rogers reader Bury St. Edmunds: St Edmundsbury Press Limited. Kulewicz, S. F. (1989) The twelve core functions of a Counselor (5th Edn). Marlborough, CT: Counselor Publications. Mearns, D. and Thorne, B. (1988) Person-centred counselling in Action (3rd Edn). London: Sage Publications Ltd. Mearns, D. (1994) Developing Person Centred counselling (2nd Edn). London: Sage Publications Ltd. Rogers, C. R. (1957) The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Vol. 60, No. 6, 827-832. Rogers, C. R. (1961) On Becoming a Person London: Constable Robinson Ltd. Rogers, C. R. (1980) A way of Being Boston: Houghton and Mifflin Company. Rogers, C. R. (1980) Client Centred psychotherapy In: Kaplan, H. I. et al, ceds, Comprehensive text book of Psychiatry (3rd Edn). Baltimore: Williams Wilkins Co. Thorne, B. Dryden, W. (2002) Person Centred Counselling in W. Dryden Handbook of Individual Therapy (4th Edn). London: Sage. pp. 131-157.

Abnormalities in returns and gains in financial markets Assignment

Abnormalities in returns and gains in financial markets - Assignment Example Questionable interests have been raised as a means of gaining an insight in causes of the abnormalities in the financial market studies. Much of the interest raised has been directed towards understanding the nature of the gains on both the two major types of offers. It is important to know whether the gains are truly anomalous or whether they are communal with the firms that are nonevent with features that are connected to the average returns. According to Famar & French (1993), book to market equity and size are the two variables believed to have connection with the average stock return (ASR). The long term buy and hold returns only apply for the size and this may result to the outcome being affected by additional variables that are common with the average return. Famar and French’s research aimed at comparing the half a decade period buy-and-hold gains on initial public offers that had gains on portfolios that matched the initial public offers on size and book to market equ ity. The two types of public offers were not considered in the research. The study led to helpful findings. A half decade relative wealth increased from a percentage of seven to about a hundred percent. The study showed that buy and hold gains on securities equity discount are almost equal to the one produced by the non event portfolios with common size and BE/ME. Independent studies conducted by different researchers led to the deduction that the two types of public offers were minimal growth stocks.

Interprofessional Education Workshop Assignment

Interprofessional Education Workshop - Assignment Example The first way in which the workshop expressions show a need to fill the gap of the health profession with the right education is through the roles of each individual. In the first segment of the workshop, basic introductions and expectations of the field which one was studying were given. During this part of the workshop, each individual stated their field of study and how this would be used in the profession after graduation. It could instantly be seen that there was a gap in the understanding of what each individual was doing. In one participant describing the pharmaceutical role she played, others questioned what that meant and what she would be doing. The discussion led to the need to define why the individual was in the group, how it related to medicine and what the expectations were. Even though the individual would be in a health department and team, the collaboration was limited by the inability to understand the specialization that each of the members had. If there are these gaps with the basic job descriptions and roles which each individual holds, then it won’t provide the right support for patients while working in a health professional setting. The concept of interprofessional education works by filling this gap so basic introductions of those working in the field are understood. The practice of knowing what each individual is required to do is one of the ways in which the gap is shortened while in the field. This is combined with understanding what an individual has the capacity of doing while in the field. The practice of collaboration that the education offers is the beginning to understanding the processes which each individual should go through while building a basic understanding of what the roles of the professionals are within a health setting (D’amour, Oandasan, 2005, 8).