Causes of American Divorce Essay

For the last decade, the issue of American divorce has increased dramatically. A significant change in economical, psychological and emotional mind set could be the explanation of why so many American are ending their relationship in divorce. Issues such as, not having enough financial stability, lack of communication and lack of commitment, in other words infidelity, could provide an explanation to society of why divorce has increased throughout the years. The first cause of divorce may be because of not having enough financial stability from one of the spouses or both. The quote, â€Å"Money is the root of all evil,† may be true, especially when it comes to American marriages. Although, instead, the quote should say â€Å"Money is the root to all reasons marriages fail.† Money may not be the only reason it fails but could be one of the reasons. An example of this could be, if a spouse is paying for necessity based things, such as, bills and food and the other spends too much on things that are useless, this could become a problem, especially when children are involved. Most married couples tend to forget that when they say their marriage vows, there is an important line that pertains to money and that is, â€Å"Til debt do us part.† Relationships sometimes begin and the spouse may not know the financial difficulties one may be having. This could cause a problem when the couples try to buy a house or a car. Frustra tion could come upon them and eventually end the marriage due to the arguments. However, financial problems might not be the only cause of divorce. The second cause of American marriages ending in divorce could be, lack of communication. Most couples tend to stay fairly busy with work or college and don’t get a large amount of time to talk about issues one may be facing with the other, for fear that an argument may happen. However, not talking about the issues could become a problem. For example, the spouse may do something the other doesn’t like and if it keeps happening, the petty problem could cause an outrage to spark and since they were unable to solve the problem before because of lack of communication it could lead to the marriage possibly failing. The quote, â€Å"Love is communication, so the bottom line is; a lack of communication is a lack of love,† could be true for most marriages because not talking could cause separation between the spouses. The third cause of American divorce could be lack of commitment or infidelity. Infidelity is the act of unfaithfulness to a person. This could be the number one cause of marriage failure. For example, a spouse may not be into the sexual arousal game as the other spouse is. This could then lead to the spouse engaging in sexual activity with someone other than the person they married to. Sexual desire is not the only form of infidelity. Lust may be consider as adultery as well. A spouse may begin to have fantasies of being with someone else or an intense desire of love toward a person. To conclude, the three possible reasons American marriages fail could be because of financial issues, lack of communication and lack of commitment or infidelity. The numbers are becoming dramatically alarming. To stop this problem from happening marriages should build their relationship on a strong foundation and beware of rushing into things before talking about. Communication should be an important matter in any relationship.

Courts of the Tampa Bay Area

This study involved visiting courtrooms and observing the court proceeding. I was to follow several cases and evaluate everyone’s behavior in the courtroom. During this period I visited two courtrooms, Criminal Justice Center at 14250 49th Street North Clearwater, FL 33762 and the 501 building in St. Petersburg at 501 1st Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701. I visited the courtrooms on several occasions. Case observations On June 16 2010, I visited the criminal Justice center at 14250 49th street North Clearwater, FL 33762, at 2 pm. At the entrance of the courtroom there was screening.Mobile phones were not allowed in the courtroom so they were to be left at the reception desk. It was not difficult getting into the courtroom as only photo identification was required. The room was half full and so finding a sitting position was easy. It was a criminal case, where Mr. George Warren, the accused, was a suspect in a robbery at the bay harbor pool room. The Judge was Justice Earl Logan. The mood of the court was rather relaxed. The judge was calm and followed keenly. On several occasions the judge was very active, especially where the attorneys had heated arguments.The judge had to intervene and restore order in the room. As I learnt later that the proceeding was not open to the journalist and this is the reason I attracted some attention from a juror, as I took some notes. The attorneys showed a great deal of respect to their client although the plaintiff’s attorney was very intimidating. The judge did not take this lightly and cautioned the attorney against such action. The defendant’s attorney defended his client against such intimidation aggressively. He refused to allow his client to be asked questions revolving around his personal life except where they were relevant .They attorneys sought the judge’s intervention where they felt that their client was being harassed. The judge asked the clients questions where he felt was necessar y, or ordered them to answer questions if the chose to remain silent. The defendant and his attorney were active while the plaintiff appeared relaxed. This is because the evidence that was brought before the court was very strong and could earn him more than five years imprisonment. The defendant was a clerk and frequented the pool room. Both of them seemed to follow and understand the proceedings.The defendant was however very careful when answering the questions because he would take some time before replying. The disposition of the case was that the defendant was not guilty. This is because he was found near the site with some pints of wine and some change in his pocket. The evidence produced was not substantial and enough for the defendant to face any sentence. The witnesses who testified in the case did give any information that linked the defendant to the crime. The plaintiff failed to convince the court that the accused was indeed the thief.There was no finger print match and the defendant had an evident alibi. During the time of theft the defendant was at another local joint drinking. The time spent on the case was not long but was enough because there was no enough evidence to imprison the defendant. The disposition of the case was fair. There was clear evidence that the defendant was not involved in the crime, and if there was the plaintiff failed to produce it. According to the law the defendant was supposed to be set free until or unless there was more clear evidence . Analysis The courts precinct was calm.There was a serious security check for mobile phones, cameras and any form of weapons. This case was not open to the media and this is the reason why they were so strict on the issue of any cameras or recording material. This was also a security to ensure the safety of everyone in the courtroom. Being an afternoon during a working day most people were at their places of work and so most of those in the room were close to the clients. The mood was relaxed. The case had little tension and this is the reason why the judge appeared calm although he was very attentive.In some instances the clients chose not to answer questions and the judge had to intervene and force them to answer the questions. This is because the evidence tabled was not enough and any information that the judge felt was relevant had to be given . The attorneys were however very aggressive, each trying to defend the evidence produced by their clients. The plaintiff showed no signs of providing more evidence against the defendant and relied solely on the fact that the defendant was found close to the crime scene when the police were called.The defendant claimed that he had just left another drinking joint and was on his way home. This case was very sensitive and the judge had to take note of all the important details and ask questions where clarification was needed, failure to which a wrong judgment would have been made . He was able to prove his claims to the court. The fingerprints from the crime scene did not match his, clear evidence that he was just a case of mistaken identity. This made the proceedings very quick and the hearing and the proceedings did not take a long duration.The evidence produced by the plaintiff did not link directly to the defendant. The could only prove that he was a suspect because he had some pints of wine and also being near the pool room but no proof of his presence in it. The comparison The courtrooms I visited had some differences and similarities. For example in some courtrooms you were allowed to access the room with a mobile phone but it should remain switched off, while in others one was supposed to leave any electronic gadget or anything that could cause harm at the reception.This is especially in those cases that had restrictions to the media. Search for weapons was inevitable for security reasons. The judges had different reactions and moods depending on the case. If the case had a lot of pressure there were heated arguments and the judge and the judges were very active. They would ask questions in some instances. In other cases the rooms had a bored mood and the judge could even fall asleep. The judge would remain uninvolved in the case. I observed this in a civil case the 501 building in St. Petersburg at 501 1st Avenue North St.Petersburg, FL 33701 on June 11 2010. The suit was filed woman and her former husband and the dispute involved the sharing of the family property. They had recently divorced and the husband decided the wife could only get a third share of the property. Unlike the first case where the judge was actively involved by asking question and seeking clarification, in this case the judge listened quietly without intervention. The judge only took down a few notes and the rest of the time he just watched and listened . The facts and evidence produced were so obvious.Those who followed the proceedings were also very bored. The disposition of this case was that the property in question was to be shared equally between the couple. The disposition of this case was so obvious and thus the quiet mood in the room. The attorneys were also very calm and did not show much aggressiveness like in the first criminal case. The only client who appeared active was the plaintiff, who on several instances had to be warned by the judge about her explosive behavior. In other instances accessing a courtroom could be very difficult.Only those involved in the case are allowed to access them. On the 17th May 2010, I attended the 501 building in St. Petersburg at 501 1st Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701, where the case involved a limited company and a former employee. Only those who were involved in this case were allowed in. I however managed to convince the security team that I was a law student conducting a research and was allowed in. The restrictions were in favor of the company’s public image, which was a leading company globally and could not risk the integrity. The judge looked serious and very involved.The room had very few people and tension was high. The attorneys were very aggressive and the judge was actively involved. The Jury followed the proceedings very attentively. The defendant was accused of violating the rights of the plaintiff a former employee in it, where the plaintiff was forced to work for more hours and was fired without any definite reason. Like in the first case, the judge listened attentively and asked questions during the proceedings. The questions were to clarify the issues that could be relevant in determining the case .The reasons stated by the defendants for their action was that the plaintiff was unproductive at work and showed some negative attitude. The defendant managed to convince the court on the negative attitude of the plaintiff but failed to prove his unproductiveness. The defendant claimed that on particular occasion the plaintiff did not report to work and had no reason a claim refu ted by the defendant. Some records that showed the employees attendance were missing; they could have been some crucial evidence. The disposition of this case was that the defendant was guilty.They were to pay the plaintiff an amount that was to be discussed by their attorneys. Unlike the first two cases this case took one month to be decided. The hearing was made on the 25th June 2010. I attended all the three proceedings. The second proceeding was on the 4th June 2010. The fourth case was at the criminal Justice center at 14250 49th street North Clearwater, FL 33762. In this case the plaintiff was a young man who was assaulted by a security guard, the defendant, at a public facility. The hearing was held on July 12 2010. This case proceeding was open to everyone and the courtroom was very crowded.There was the usual security check but not many restrictions. Security checks are a must at all the court entrances but the restrictions depend on the case and those who are involved. The judge was active. Her name was Justice Rene Raymond. The attorneys were very active with instances of heated arguments like in the first and third case. The security guard claimed that the young man was disturbing the public. The evidence brought before the court and from the witnesses showed that the plaintiff had actually caused commotion in the public facility.The issue in this case was the assault. The judge argued that the plaintiff had actually caused disturbance to the people and thus the reason for the assault. Therefore the plaintiff lost the suit. This disposition was fair. There were similarities in these cases in that in most of the criminal cases the judges were very active since the involved so many details that had to be unveiled and clarified so as to make a sound judgment. The crowding of the courtrooms however varied. The dispositions were based on the evidence produced and not just mere claims.This is because in a law court everything said should be proved and a judge should not base the decision on blank claims. Conclusion The research shows that every case proceeding has its own procedures although others are similar. The issue of security is emphasized in all courts. In some cases members of the public are restricted, while others are open to everyone. The mood and involvement of the judge and the courtroom in general depends on the case. Some cases have so much pressure that the judge is very active and attentive. The decisions are based on the evidence produced before the court.REFERENCES Heumann, M. (1981). Plea Bargaining: The Experiences of Prosecutors, Judges, and Defense Attorneys. Chicago: University of Chicago press. Samuelson, P. (1984). Good Legal Writing: of Orwell and Window Panes. University of Pittsburgh Law Review 149 retrieved on July 12 2010 from http://people. ischool. berkeley. edu/~pam/papers/goodwriting. html Mauk, D. & Oakland, J. (2005). American civilization: an introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. Carmen, R. V . (2009). Criminal Procedure: Law and Practice. . Florence: Wadsworth Publishing

Bad communication and father/son relationships Essay

â€Å"Exactly what kind of stupid shit have I gotten myself into this time?† I asked my father. â€Å"Don’t worry, it only gets worse †¦ er †¦ better I mean,† he replied. â€Å"Growing up I invariably figured the two of you knew inherently how to raise us, now I question my ability to survive even my pregnant wife’s wrath, much less an incessantly crying baby.† â€Å"Funny you feel that way. Your mother and I raised you despite our ignorance and oddly enough I feel no more qualified now than I did more than twenty years ago.† â€Å"Oh, thanks for that. You know what? I seriously doubt, based on your uplifting words here, that you truly are more qualified.† â€Å"I love you too son,† said my father. â€Å"Now instead of concerning yourself with the future, start thinking about the here and now and get in there with your wife. It’s a right of passage and I’ll be damned if you get to skip out on this one!† Immediately upon conclusion of my not so reassuring conversation with my father I somewhat less than bravely headed back to the room and my once lovely wife now overcome with fear, anger and most importantly rage at seemingly nothing but me. These memories of a day some seven years ago remain vivid in my mind. In fact, it’s amusing what a mind chooses to place into the vault and that which it seems to discard like some Sheik discards used Jaguars. Regardless of what anyone might profess, whatever literature, scripture, propaganda or media might say, childbirth is not, by any means, a beautiful miracle. It is simply a function of biology, and certainly one of nature’s most awful and gut-wrenching sights to behold. I’ve rarely even for a second understood the parents who weave these intricate tales of how they’ve never before witnessed a more perfect baby and how eager to hold and caress  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Johnny† they were the minute he breached the birth canal. Let me for a minute explain, for all of the delusional parents and more importantly for those who are easily manipulated by such tales, that childbirth is not remotely akin to the beauty of a bride on a wedding day, picturesque mountains covered with snow or a fantastic waterfall hidden deep in some jungle. It is certainly far more reminiscent of a triage base that exists in any â€Å"X-files† like movie where recently captured aliens are carved like the Christmas ham with a bit of grade B teenage horror movie screaming mixed in to accent the not so serene surroundings. When I first witnessed my son, Owen, born into this troubled world, I felt a magnificent burst of love that Christ himself could not have invoked. Seconds later however, when the surprisingly slow neurons had traveled from my all too eager optic nerve to what I like to refer to as myself, my brain, a mere millimeters away, that love remained, capped with something new, shock. Thoughts will race through one’s mind in this situation: â€Å"Funny, my head isn’t twice as tall as it is wide,† or â€Å"What exactly is that nurse doing stitching up my wife †¦ down there?† Luckily, for my own sanity these were intermingled like morse code within those of concern, fear, excitement and certainly, love. Suffice to say, the first day with my new child was not a picnic, a miracle, a wonderful package from god, the stork or any other freakish analogy that might be told to children and ignorant soon to be parents alike. It was however, the day that my life was drast ically altered and along with the sickness and utter horror witnessed that day, I gained something new, a pride never experienced before. One that seems to multiply exponentially every week like an algorithm gone awry. Most will tell you that children in their early years are an utter handful. Luckily for my wife and myself this was not the case with Owen. In fact, mere weeks after leaving the hospital we were sleeping nearly an entire night, something many families are devoid of for months if not years. Perhaps more importantly however than my now beautiful son’s penchant for nighttime silence was his daytime demeanor and willingness to learn, in his case siphon, as much knowledge as I could possibly bear to part with. Even before he had grasped a few meager words he was the proverbial hawk watching my every move and taking clues more often than not when least expected. Ever  vigilant to the fact that I was under constant surveillance, my at home demeanor abruptly changed from college student/dock-worker to nearly angelic overnight. With ourselves safely on track, my most daunting task was to prevent Owen’s grandfather from one of his favorite past-times: teaching Owen large words in a creepy manner. Imagine my shock upon picking up my son at his grandparents house only to gaze stunned at my boy eagerly rubbing his tiny hands together in an evil manner and repeating over and over â€Å"My plans are coming to fruition.† â€Å"Skip out on this one?† I said to my father. â€Å"If you know of any way I can achieve that at a point like this I’d love to know.† â€Å"I can think of one way,† Dad replied. â€Å"Close your eyes for a second. I swear to you, if you do, you’ll notice the next thing happening is your child on a bike and that you’ve missed a year, then two.† â€Å"Seriously, I knew you we’re getting a bit long in the tooth, but I never picked you for the nostalgic type. When exactly did you become the card carrying bleeding-heart kind?† Nodding his head playfully with an arrogant hint of understanding that I had yet to grasp he said, â€Å"That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t, for anything, miss the years when they haven’t yet figured out how to smart-off.† Much to my dismay, my father was and is more correct than I could have ever imagined. Like a roulette wheel that races around barely fast enough to obscure the numbers, yet not so fast that you can’t with some small degree of difficulty make out what’s happening, my son was growing up at an alarming rate. His mother and myself, with all of our mistakes now resurrected and at the forefront of our minds, focused on molding our child to withhold the values that we maintained while having the courage to exercise his own individuality. Reminiscing back to the days when being a father terrified me, when instilling a sense of right and wrong in Owen, his mother and I at least attempted to teach him to hold himself with dignity and poise at all times; obeying the rules until they seem to conflict with  some other moral standing. Obviously this wasn’t explained to him in such a manner, but likely through years of examples, lessons at home and luckily at school. Due to the overwhelming maturity and good nature that my son had exhibited up until one fateful spring morning, my shock at that day hopefully is understandable. Owen for the last two years has been attending an esteemed private grade school; one that allows for hardly any deviation from their strict rules and expects as much from the families as the children, generally speaking. Certainly there are more than a few typical suburban gems that consist of a virtually ethereal father who passes in and out of his children’s lives between disgustingly profitable business trips only to spend the mandatory 15 minutes with a soccer-mom wife and unappreciated children before jutting off for the afternoon to an overpriced golf course with several other inconsiderate acquaintances. Thankfully for these families an underpaid nanny gives at least some attention to the children, between hangovers and homeopathy classes. While most often their mother prescribes to the theory that two double-skinny-mocha-lattes with nutmeg in an afternoon at the local gourmet food store with her bo-tox friends is the way to raise a child. Owen, sometimes much to his own disgust, is by no means a valued member of one of those families. He is however an important part of ours, one that we can rely upon for at least an insightful thought and usually a couple good laughs a day. Our tendency to be smitten with Owen is something shared by many who have the never-ending joy of his acquaintance. His school however, in accordance with the bureaucracy required by civilization, deems it necessary to establish a punishment doctrine related to something we’ve rarely experienced: bad behavior. This, put simply, is a system of colored cards ranging from yellow through red, with a few shades of orange that only a flamboyant interior designer would recognize, that are â€Å"pulled† in succession or in the extreme case of some dire transgression, the dreaded â€Å"red† card is pulled bypassing the usual stepped progression; a bad thing indeed. We prefer to, when Owen has the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, liken a yellow card to DEFCON-5. While a red card, though inconceivable, would be  DEFCON-1, or full scale nuclear war (at least within the confines of our modest home). As much as I would like my son to be, at least unt il college, some aberration of goodness, he does stray mildly from the line some refer to as the â€Å"straight and narrow.† But, when these situations do arise, they are typically mild and take the form of forgotten homework or lack of attentiveness in class, never, before this spring, were they of the kind we like to attribute to the â€Å"problem† children. â€Å"I’ve pretty much figured that’s why you loved me so much, because of my rapier like wit and willingness to dissect even the most noble of your weakness’,† I said to my father. â€Å"In fact, I know that’s what draws me to you.† â€Å"I loved you so much because you’re Mother made me,† Dad replied. â€Å"I liked you because you never wrecked my car.† â€Å"Not that you know of I suppose,† winking as I said this. â€Å"It never did come to me though why you failed to ask obvious questions when issues did arise. Care to share any insight on this now?† â€Å"What? And ruin the fun for the two of you, I think not.† Then my father paused for a minute as if in some internal debate that could drastically effect the future of mankind. Oddly enough, a single piece of exactly that was at stake at this precise moment. â€Å"Sometimes,† my father continued; â€Å"the best questions are those left unasked. When I knew that you we’re dealing with any problems in an upstanding manner I felt that my work was accomplished years before. What good is a question then?† My wife called me at the office late in the afternoon minutes before I was leaving and began to share with me the details of Owen’s incident. While I was not by any means eager to hear the news, I begged her to wait at least another hour so that I could consider the full weight of his transgression  in peace. When I arrived home from work that evening Owen’s pre-trial detainment was in effect and he was found reading meekly in his room. Unaccustomed to this environment I immediately spat a barrage of questions toward my wife, only to hear in return some flabbergasting news. â€Å"Honey, Miss Finn called today about Owen’s behavior,† my wife began. â€Å"Apparently he received a red card and we might need to meet with the principal.† Shocked, I replied. â€Å"Not that I can’t possibly believe that my son would do any wrong, but, I’m sure he didn’t do it, whatever it is.† â€Å"I wish that we’re true, but I’ve asked him and he did admit to it, at least we have that much going for us.† â€Å"You’ve got to be kidding me,† I continued. â€Å"I’m sure he’s heard that before, but I can’t possibly imagine, in school of all places, him ever even considering mouthing a word like shit.† â€Å"Clearly both he and Miss Finn have told me that he said the â€Å"S† word. I think we truly have been blessed all of these years and that now the dam has burst.† The worries of my day at work suddenly seemed insignificant compared to this new event. After all, my entire persona had been changed for my child. Though both of us used to have a certain affinity for cursing, that was discarded so many years ago. I’m by no means like my boy who seems to perpetually pick the correct path, even if he’s only in second grade, but at least in this aspect I’m largely infallible. Evidently, the crucial issue here is our realization that soon enough he will be surrounded with overwhelming amounts of temptation as he ages. I would prefer to hold on to some semblance of innocence at least through the second grade, hopefully up to the fourth, God willing. The trial was abrupt and to my son’s credit, he did admit his wrongdoing and professed he was simply angry at the ignorance of his school-mates concerning the blatantly obvious difference between a  water poke’mon and an air poke’mon, stating that â€Å"air pokeâ €™mon’s were â€Å"S†.† Perhaps he’s been wound up tight lately, given his schedule of 7 hours of school followed by snacks, playing, naps, and more playing. I guess we should have assumed more responsibility in this matter, however, the jury found him mostly at fault and the sentencing was implemented immediately. In the whole scheme of things this episode turned out to be nominally more than a speed-bump on my child’s path to adulthood. In fact, the grounding was short but the continuing education as to how to present himself was intensified drastically. It was only later, during one of those drawn out humid days of summer that my son taught me a lesson that apparently my father, in all of his wisdom, had never learned. As Owen and I watched an afternoon baseball game, each rooting for the other team though having virtually no investment in either, I was stung by the words suddenly emanating from my son’s mouth. â€Å"Dad, why is it that adults can do and say things that children can’t?† My son said. As I began my blanket argument, searching mentally for something I did or said recently that would invoke such a dreaded question, nothing came to mind. â€Å"We’ll, life’s that way I suppose, someday you’ll understand.† â€Å"Maybe Mom should ground you for the week then and you’ll understand.† â€Å"Perhaps that’s not such a bad idea, can I borrow your room?† I replied, frantically seeking that slip-up and cursing myself to be more aware around my boy. â€Å"No, you constantly say the colors make you dizzy anyway,† he continued. â€Å"But, when I said the â€Å"S† word you told me that’s not how a gentleman speaks. Aren’t you a gentleman? Or are you a lady?† His snickering bought me precious time to recap the past few minutes and what had transpired, and for the life of me I couldn’t recall any such regression in my â€Å"don’t speak like a sailor† policy. â€Å"If I did say that I do apologize, however, I think you’re mistaking, perhaps you misunderstood me,† I said. â€Å"No sir, you said it, and I’m telling Mom.† By now my curiosity had been piqued to a point where I could no longer deny this incident in a Clinton-esque manner. I had to pursue this matter, even though I figured at this juncture it meant certain embarrassment, at the time I thought for my child. â€Å"What exactly did I say that you profess you can’t?† â€Å"I told you, you said the â€Å"S† word and I can’t repeat it, you said so yourself.† â€Å"I seriously doubt that. You’ve never heard me say that word. In fact, if I recall correctly you’re the only one in this household who seems to utter that phrase.† I was beginning to worry now that perhaps there was a point of confusion that I didn’t understand. On some deeper level I was also worried that my son had started to â€Å"smart-off† to me; thus the end to the glory years. â€Å"Maybe you can spell this word for me, so that I know and will never repeat it again,† I said. â€Å"I don’t think that would be a fruitful thing to do, Dad,† Owen said. â€Å"But since you’re the boss of me, at least until Mom comes home, I will.† My worst fears we’re confirmed at this moment, he had prematurely reached the age of self-awareness and independence. Surly, I thought, this must be some god-awful twisted plan implanted into his brain by my mischievous father. As I prepared for the next daunting step in my life, dealing with an individual who was not simply repeating what he was shown and instructed like a cheap pet-store parrot, but one capable of reasonable logical connections and more  terrifyingly one that was good at such things, my son began his personal spelling lesson for Daddy. Owen of course began with the letter â€Å"S.† I, on one level had previously assumed the outcome and was coming to terms with the peculiar cleverness of my child, in addition to my inability to see through his weak scam, yet I let him continue. â€Å"t †¦ u †¦ p †¦ i †¦ d.† â€Å"Most importantly, son, you must listen to your children, especially as they grow,† my father said. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I figured that. I can only assume that’s why you told me to shut the hell up so often,† I replied. â€Å"I also said distinctly, over and over, to do as I say, not as I do.† In retrospect, these words ring true often to me. I can’t possibly expect to be father of the year anytime soon. I can however learn from my mistakes and hopefully my son in turn will heed his grandfather’s sage-like advice.

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 23

Business Ethics - Essay Example By so doing, businesses will increase their profit and benefit the society by reducing their suffering. The theory makes businesses to work in a way that will help the society and not cause them pain (Mill 2007). The purpose of this theory is to enable businesses to get the best results from their actions. According to Marshall (2009), every person has their own rights that should be respected. Businesses need to also respect the rights of their customers. According to Velasquez (2015) Kant feels that individuals should be assisted to achieve their expected end results. It is also the duty of businesses to sell goods and services that help their customers to get what they wanted when they were buying the goods and services. Businesses should sell goods that are fresh and not expired because it is the right of the customer to get good products. When businesses do something wrong to their customers, they should do justice by taking actions that will make their customer to recover what they have lost (Wettstein 2009). According to Velasquez (2015), Maqasid al Sharia states that justice and equity should be established in the society to protect the individuals and their property. Businesses need to take good care of their customers. When they do so, the customers will feel good about buying the goods or services from the business and this will increase the profits of the business. According to Frei & Moriss (2012), customers return to buy goods from a business when they feel that the business is taking good care of them. Caring for customers makes them happy and happy customers will return to buy things from the business many times. Capitalism is a system where businesses and other money making activities belong to individual people or companies. This makes businesses to compete with each other so that they can serve their customers well and make a lot of money (Boltanski & Chiapello 2005). Businesses that make

Health Science and Medicine Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Science and Medicine - Coursework Example As the discussion declares bones of the shoulder girdle were examined and the following features were located: the scapula, which consists of the fossa, coracoid, acromion and the spine. The upper limb was examined and the bones and holes established. The following features and bones of the upper limb were examined. The humerus was found to consist of coronoid fossa, olecranon fossa and the head. The radius consisted of the styloid process, radial tuberosity and the head. The ulna was found to be composed of coranoid process, olecranon process and trochlea notch. Colored pencils were used to differentiate the individual bones.This paper stresses that  the paired pectoral girdles have two bones, which include the posterior scapula and the anterior clavicle. The function of the shoulder girdle is to connect the axial skeleton to the upper limbs. The bones of the shoulder function as points of attachment for the neck and trunk muscles. It was easier to locate the bony landmarks of the male model, while there was a lot of difficulty in locating the bony landmarks of the female model. One of the biggest challenges came when the models had to change positions, they also had to remove their clothes and this proved to be quite uncomfortable to them.  The knowledge of bony landmarks is vital for any student pursuing a career in the health sciences. It helps the student to master the bones of the human body without having any difficulty. These are some of the knowledge that students should have at their finger tips.

Reflection of Past Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection of Past Work - Essay Example took the alternative perspective that â€Å"peer pressure could act as motivation because it boosts one’s morale in becoming better at certain things. Under motivation children coming financially unstable homes find the momentum to work hard in their academics to get better jobs†. Taking the alternative perspective is not easy because we have to research more in justifying our position. This however is not the case when we write a narrative such as in the case of A Helping Hand. This piece may be longer to write but is actually a joy to do it. I enjoyed writing it because it allowed me a greater degree of creativity to create my own story. Unlike in editorial where I have to be reasonable in my position, personal narratives are based more on what I feel and think and I do not have to make solid justifications about it for as long as the reader can relate and understand what I am writing. In the first place, the goal of a personal narrative is to reach out and affect the reader and not necessarily convince him or her with my arguments such as in the case of editorials. Writing about a favourite subject such as the performing arts in the A Day in the Fairytale is also such a joy to write. It is because I just have to write what I felt and saw during that time and need not justify what I think about it such why I enjoy the comical aspect of the dance in the opening curtain of the show. This is fun to write because I only have to focus on the positive aspect of the experience most of the time. If there are negative aspects to it, they are very few if any and are often negligible and overwhelmed by the positive aspects of the experience. For example, the Nutcracker centers around family affair and that theme alone overshadows that not so impressive aspects of the performance. And writing about it is almost without pressure as I just have to relate with the performance. This however is not the case in writing a technical story such as â€Å"What a Flood of

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Business law - Essay Example Examples of these crimes are murder, kidnapping, robbing etc. State acts as a prosecutor in criminal matters as it is the State who sets out the legal framework. There is, however, a right of undertaking private prosecution’ in which a citizen, ordinarily the victim, acts as a prosecutor (Gillespie, 2007, p.8). The penalties, in case of a breach of a criminal law, include fines, loss of liberty, execution and State supervision. A person penalized under criminal law for the first time initiates a ‘criminal record’ in which all the crimes committed in the future are to be incorporated. Civil law deals with anything that is not in the scope of criminal law (Gillespie, 2007, p.8), e.g. Contract Law. The primary source of this law is the legal code. It generally concerns with private matters of the parties but the State is involved in some matters too e.g. in a lawsuit brought against a public body. Therefore, civil law is a mix of public and private law. The citizens are mostly the prosecutors in matters arising under civil law. The penalties are not of a punishing nature. This law attempts to make the guilty party compensate the aggrieved party for the loss that it causes by way of allowing damages. A lawsuit brought under civil law is not due to a breach of a public duty and hence, are not punitive. The damages are classified according to the nature of the loss. However, nominal damages are allowed in some cases which serve the purpose of punishing a party. Common law recognizes the common principles and develops the statutory law which is passed by the Parliament. It develops the law by forming new precedents which are the judges’ decisions in any particular set of circumstances. Once a precedent is formed, the future judges are bound by it for the sake of consistency in adjudications unless there are new circumstances which force a judge to decide on the contrary. For instance, Donoghue v Stevenson (1932, duty of

Cancer pain in end of life cancer patients Research Paper

Cancer pain in end of life cancer patients - Research Paper Example The article has prepared a step by step, scientific methodology for pain assessment and intervention strategies and based on this methodology, has thoroughly examined the case and provided care as the multidisciplinary team went on recording and analyzing the interventions as well. The study has utilized a standardized scale to assess pain, used four basic approaches to pain relief that includes, â€Å"modify the source(s) of pain(s)(,) alter the central perception of pain(,) modulate transmission of pain to the central nervous system(,) (and) block transmission of pain to the central nervous system (Ferrel, Levy and Paice, 2008, p.575-577). It has also made use of approved methods of pharmacological management of pain including co-analgesic therapy (Ferrel, Levy and Paice, 2008, p.577). ... 2. Fayers, P.M., Hjermstad, M.J., Klepstad, P., Loge, J.H., Caraceni, A., Hanks, G.W. ...Kaasa, S. (2011), The dimensionality of pain: Palliative care and chronic pain patients differ in their reports of pain intensity and pain interference, Pain, 152 (7), 1608-20. This article has drawn attention to the importance of accurate assessment of pain in palliative care (Fayers et al., 2011, p.1608). This is observed in the context that different chronic pain patients report the intensity of pain in different degrees (Fayers et al., 2011, p.1608). This study has made use of quantitative methodology to assess pain in chronic pain patients and carried out a questionnaire survey of a sample of such patients. By carrying out a psychometric analysis of the data collected, this article has provided statistical information based on which, two main dimensions of pain have been identified, namely, â€Å"intensity and interference† (Fayers et al., 2011, p.1608). It is inferred that in order t o have a â€Å"higher-level summary measure of patient's pain experience†, the two dimensions, intensity and interference both have to be assessed in a distinct manner (Fayers et al., 2011, p.1608). Though this article does not directly deals with the proposed change put forth by this researcher, it provides crucial information on the nature and factor influencing reported pain in palliative patients. Yet, this article does not provide information on morbidity, mortality, and rate of incidence or rate of occurrence in the general population, of this problem. 3. Kumar, S.P. (2011), Reporting characteristics of cancer pain: A systematic review and quantitative analysis of research publications in palliative care journals,

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example Catherine Barkley, like the season of mist and monsoon, has two faces on a single paradigm. At one plane, she is enough voluptuous to quench the desire of a man and satisfy his fantasies. And on the other plane, she is independent, smart, and strong women who not only shows the capacity to melt a stone like Henry but evolves out with the progression of the novel, as a peer to Henry in all his struggles and troubles. Hardly any female character would give such unconventional dialogue in discovering the fact that she is pregnant as Catherine gives in ‘A Farewell to Arms’, â€Å"I’ll try and not make trouble for you. I know I’ve made trouble now. But haven’t I always been a good girl until now?† (Hemingway, â€Å"A Farewell to Arms†, Pg - 128). Critics rightly claim that Catherine Barkley is the real hero of the novel. Her desperation to love Henry with all that she has, transports her claim for Henry above all the limitations of conventionalities. â€Å"There isn’t any me. I’m you. Don’t make up a separate me† (Hemingway, â€Å"A Farewell to Arms†, Pg - 107) indicates that she is above any ordinary woman to be titled as mere fantasy of a man. She is courageous, stoic and deity of fortitude. She is the real hero of the

Washington D.C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Washington D.C - Essay Example The population of the District of Columbia was 582,049 persons, as of 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates . The great in-migration of professionals from all over the U.S. to the Washington, DC area over the past century makes meeting a native-born Washingtonian a rare occasion in some settings. The Washington Metropolitan Area’s population is recorded as 6,256,400 persons as of year 2005 ACS, whereas the population of Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area has been recorded as 8 million in the year 2005. [01] According to the census held in 1860, Washington remained as a small city with its population of just over 75,000 persons until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. The significant expansion of the federal government to administer the war and its legacies such as veterans' pensions led to notable growth in the city's population. By 1870, the District population had grown to nearly 132,000. The District's population peaked in 1950, when the census for that year recorded a record population of 802,178 people. [02] Social Geography: Social geography can be defined as the study of how society affects geographical features, and how environmental factors affect the society. Thus, it becomes very important to look at some geographical features of the Washington D.C. before attempting to get into the details of its social geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.3 square miles (177.0 km). 61.4 square miles (159.0 km) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (18.0 km) of it (10.16%) is water. Washington is surrounded by the states of Maryland (on its southeast, northeast, and northwest sides) and Virginia (on its western side); it interrupts those states' common border, which is the Potomac River's southern shore both upstream and downstream from the District. The Potomac River as it passes Washington is virtually entirely within the District of Columbia border because of colonial riparian rights between Maryland and Virginia. As of 2002, the federal government accounts for 27% of Washington, D.C.'s jobs.4 The presence of many major government agencies, including the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration, has led to business development both in the District itself as well as in the National Capital Region of Maryland an d northern Virginia. [03] Immigrant Trends in Metropolitan Washington: The Washington metropolitan area has emerged during the past 30 years as a new focus of immigrant settlement in the U.S. In 2000, the region ranked seventh5 among all U.S. metropolitan areas for its number of foreign-born residents in 2000. With 832,016 immigrants counted in Census 2000, the capital region lines up behind the major immigrant gateways of metropolitan Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami in terms of size, and falls closely into line with Houston and Orange County, CA. The Washington metropolitan area attracted 575,000 immigrants between 1980 and 2000 and has become a major destination for immigrants to the United States. By 2000, 832,016 immigrants made up some 17 percent of the region's population, making

Executive Summary of Dreamliner Project Essay Example for Free

Executive Summary of Dreamliner Project Essay With an innovative design visually appealing to passengers, the Dreamliner enables Boeing customers to pleasantly surprise their passengers. The Dreamliner plans to be so visually appealing that at least some passengers will choose an air carrier-based solely on its use of Dreamliners. The Dreamliner will have other features that make the aircraft attractive to customers as well, not the least of which is that it will be much quieter than most older aircraft. Noise may not be an issue in every market; however all airlines battle noise restrictions and abatement procedures. The Dreamliner promises to be of benefit in this regard. Project Description The goal of the project is to design product and process for manufacturing the Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner. The project will involve incremental monitoring of the 787 Dreamliner, so that approaching problems with the innovative aircraft will be apparent before the project progresses too far. Clearly, the Dreamliner project is a huge undertaking in which there are myriad opportunities to digress from the stated schedule devised at the outset. As an example, there are more than 100 companies involved with the Dreamliner production and development in Australia alone (Hopkins, 2005), and the Dreamliner will not even be assembled there. The assembly plant is expected to cost $1 billion and to require the labor of 800 to 1,200 employees at an average salary of $65,000 each (Cronan, 2003). Problem Statement The void that the Dreamliner intends to fill holds at least two facets, one within Boeing and the other within the commercial air passenger industry. As indicated before, nearly all Boeings customers have had difficulty in the past, and two more, Delta and Northwest, recently joined the list of large, established airlines operating under Chapter 11. Fuel costs constitute the single greatest concern for these airlines at present, though fuel costs alone do not account for the costs of less than astute management over the past decade or so. These and other problems within the airline industry have led to difficulties at Boeing as well, in that airline customers have not purchased as many new aircraft in recent years as in the past. Boeing seeks to rectify this situation with the Dreamliner. As Boeing project manager of the 787 Dreamliner, it will be important to correctly identify the scope of the project and adhere to the defined view. Otherwise, the project easily could become susceptible to creep and expand in unplanned ways (Gray and Larson, 2005). As Boeing project manager of the 787 Dreamliner, it will be critical to be particularly watchful for signs of creep because so many other companies are involved in the 787 Dreamliner project. Of course Boeing has final say and control of the project; however it can expect many of the companies involved to voice ideas and opinions, some of which can be quite valuable. Hopkins (2005) reports that literally hundreds of Australian companies are involved with the Dreamliner; another author reports that Vought and Alenia North America have finalized arrangements forming a joint venture for the specific purpose of joining and integrating fuselage sections manufactured in a variety of European locations (7E7 production arrangements, 2004). Mission Justification Boeings Vision 2016 mission statement spells out three business strategies (Arkell, 2005). These three strategies are: †¢ Run healthy core businesses †¢ Leverage core strengths †¢ Open new frontiers (Arkell, 2005). The Dreamliner will make a positive contribution to the health of Boeings core business, and in so doing leverage the companys core strengths. It certainly opens new frontiers, in that there is not another aircraft like it. Airbus currently is retrofitting an older model to take on an appearance similar to the Dreamliners, however the Airbus offering will not be able to offer the fuel savings possible in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. High-Level Scope Gray and Larson (2005) provide a Project Scope Checklist containing the project objective, deliverables, milestones, technical requirements, limits and customer reviews. This certainly is a broad enough scope without being so broad that the 787 Dreamliner project manager could go astray with it. At the same time, the checklist can be used as a guide to assessing Boeings approach to the project to date. It likely does not have all the technical matters in place yet; however the first several requirements of the checklist already are in place and have been for some time. Chung-Suk and Gibson (2001) recommend the use of a project definition rating index to assess the appropriateness of the scope of any large project. Measuring Project Success There are several approaches and measures that as project manager can use to measure schedule progress to determine the success of the 787 Dreamliner project. There are several orders for the aircraft, likely with significant deposits attached to them. Failing to complete the project on time has the potential of negating at least a portion of the contracts that the company already has for the 787 Dreamliner. The product itself also can be used as a point of assessment of the projects success. Some detractors claim that Boeings reliance on plastic, for weight reduction and therefore greater fuel efficiency, is unfounded and unproven. As the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project manager, a plan will be devised for assessing project success with regard to using plastics before rolling out the first production model. Taverna (2004) reports that Boeing will use Dassault Systemes Product Lifecycle Management system in managing the design and production processes for Boeings 7E7 Dreamliner. The life cycle management system outlines the role of the key element to be included in this project that includes the virtual product development concept, the virtual product management system, the virtual reality center, and the Falcon Global Test Bed (Taverna, 2004). Application of Best Practices Two best practices in project management that could be applied to the project to ensure its success is to maintain tight control by the project manager on the various aspects of the project and to control the number and complexity of changes allowed in design or production processes after the start of the project. Hollmann (2003) discusses the pressures that several decades of downsizing and outsourcing have caused for many industries. Boeing has had difficulty in this area already, though its experience was several years ago. Boeing decreased its workforce so drastically that it could not efficiently take advantage of new government contracts and had to hire inexperienced, unproven design personnel. Though Boeing will be outsourcing much of the subassembly work associated with the Dreamliner project, it maintains its own design and project management personnel to provide greater accountability and incentive for bringing the project in on time and within budget. Boeing also practices astute change control in all its projects, and there is no reason to believe that the Dreamliner project will prove to be an exception. One of the greatest threats to any project is failing to properly define it at the outset and changing aspects of it well after it begins. Not making changes obviously needed results in an inferior, or worse, product; adding all the changes that possibly could be made has the effect of delaying the project and preventing it from being completed on time. As Boeing 787 Dreamliner project manager, it is paramount to maintain tight control of changes, disapprove most while allowing only those that make the product safer, more reliable or more attractive to customers. Aligning the Project with Boeings Business and Conclusion The project aligns well with Boeings core business and with its stated corporate mission. When it becomes available to the market, the Dreamliner will exist as a unique product not available from any other organization. As stated, Airbus will offer a possible substitute product; however one that is not likely to be equal to the Dreamliner in any aspect. Boeings history and reputation further will support the Dreamliner in terms of sales to commercial airline companies. Boeing learned its outsourcing lessons several years ago, and currently strives to right size rather than to become so lean it cannot function at full capacity.

Embracing Readymades and the Notion of Living Forever Essay Example for Free

Embracing Readymades and the Notion of Living Forever Essay It is a shared combination of works that is displayed throughout the museum, setting up conversation between the museum’s collection and Hirst’s contemporary art pieces. The relationship and connection between the works will give visitors a dialogue between the different works, engaging them in a conversation of art and science between the past, present and future. Hirst, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists, whose works propose a personal interpretation of past works, find their insight in science and their basis in art history. Relationships with life and death are being examined, and questions dealth to our cultural, artistic and philosophical ideals. * Works of Damien Hirst mirrored Marcel Duchamp’s idea of the ‘readymade’, that the concept is much more important than the outcome of the work itself, and that ordinary objects/subjects could be taken from everyday use and be used for art. Although Hirst’s works explores the themes of life and death, pathology and science, with the help of ‘readymade’ objects, his works arouse a sense of spiritual enlightenment in the spectator, along with the notion of living forever, which compliments with the centenary of the museum. * With that, I will firstly talk about the idea of the ‘readymades’, and how it is being used in the works that is being exhibited in Cornucopia. Next, I will be analyzing them, discussing the potential meaning behind the ‘readymades’ to my proposed theme of spirituality and t he idea of living forever. Koons seduces and persuades the spectators with such works, and desire will ultimately be gone once the spectators looks at themselves and realize that they are desire itself. * * CONCLUSION * The use of ‘readymades’ to promote or provoke an idea, a thought, is what Damien Hirst seeks out to achieve in the exhibition, Cornucopia. As it was held in accordance to the Oceanographic Museum’s 100th anniversary, Hirst’s artworks seek out to question its visitors, what has changed and what remained. Only by constant questioning will we improve and move forward. A sense of spiritual attainment and the idea of living forever can be felt whne looking at Hirst’s works, it evades time and seems to be stuck in limbo, allowing us to reflect on ourselves and our morality. As I have compared, the works of artist Jeff Koons also seeks to enlighten the viewers with his version of the ‘readymades’. ‘Readymades’ is an excellent way to provoke thinking and spreading message as everyday objects are familiar to the general consensus and people could relate better to them, rather then traditional symbols of art.

Analysis of variance models

Analysis of variance models Abstract: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) models has become widely used tool and plays a fundamental role in much of the application of statistics today. Two-way ANOVA models involving random effects have found widespread application to experimental design in varied fields such as biology, econometrics, quality control, and engineering. The article is comprehensive presentation of methods and techniques for point estimation, interval estimation, estimation of variance components, and hypotheses tests for Two-Way Analysis of Variance with random effects. Key words: Analysis of variance; two-way classification; variance components; random effects model 1. Introduction The random effects model is not fraught with questions about assumptions as is the mixed effects model. Concerns have been expressed over the reasonableness of assuming that the interaction term abij is tossed into the model independently of ai and bj . However, uncorrelatedness, which with normality becomes independence, does seem to emerge from finite sampling models that define the interaction to be a function of the main A and B effects. The problem usually of interest is to estimate the components of variance. The model (1) is referred to as a cross-classification model. A slightly different and equally important model is the nested model. For this latter model see (5) and the related discussion. 2. Estimation of variance components The standard method of moments estimators for a balanced design(i.e., = n ) are based on the expected mean squares for the sums of nij squares. The credentials of the estimators (4) are that they are uniform minimum variance unbiased estimators (UMVUE) under normal theory, and uniform minimum variance quadratic unbiased estimators (UMVQUE) in general. They do, however, suffer the embarrassment of sometimes being negative, except for .e which is always positive. The actual maximum likelihood estimators would occur on a boundary rather than being negative. The best way is to always adjust an estimate to zero rather than report a negative value. It should certainly be possible to construct improved estimators along the lines of the Klotz-Milton-Zacks estimators used in the one-way classification. However, the details on these estimators have not been worked out by anyone for the two-way classification. Estimating variance components from unbalanced data is not as straight-forward as from balanced data. This is so for two reasons. First, several methods of estimation are available (most of which reduce to the analysis of variance method for balanced data), but no one of them has yet been clearly established as superior to the others. Second, all the methods involve relatively cumbersome algebra; discussion of unbalanced data can therefore easily deteriorate into a welter of symbols, a situation we do our best (perhaps not successfully) to minimize here1. On the other hand, extremely unbalanced designs are a horror story. A number of different methods have been proposed for handling them, but all involve extensive algebraic manipulations. The technical detail required to carry out these analyses exceeds the limitations set for this article. On occasion factors A and B are such that it makes no sense to postulate the existence of interactions, so the terms abij should be dropped from (1). In this case .ab disappears from (3) and the estimators for .a and 1 Djordjevic V., Lepojevic V., Henderson?s approach to Variance Components estimation for unbalanced data, Facta Universitatis, Vol.2 No.1, 2004. pg. 59 Another variation on the model (1) gives rise to the nested model. In general, the nested model for components of variance problems occur more frequently in practice than does the cross-classification model. In the nested model the main effects for one factor, say, B, are missing in (1). The reason is that the entities creating the different levels of factor B are not the same for different levels of factor A. For example, the levels (subscript i ) of factor A might represent different litters, and the levels (subscript j) of factor B might be different animals, which are a different set for each litter. The additional subscript k might denote repeated measurements on each animal. To be specific, the formal model for the nested design is: and independence between the different lettered variables. It is customary with this model to use the symbol b rather than ab because the interpretation for this term has changed from synergism or interaction to one of a main effect nested inside another main effect. For a balanced design the method of moments estimators are based on the sums of squares: which have degrees of freedom I-1, I (J-1), and IJ(n-1) , respectively. The mean squares corresponding to (7) have the expectations: The increasing tier phenomenon exhibited in (8) holds for nested designs with more than two effects. The only complication arises when one or more of the estimates are negative. This is an indication that the corresponding variance components are zero or negligible. One might want to resent any negative estimates to zero, combine the adjacent sums of squares, and subtract the combined mean squares from the mean squares higher in the tier. Extension of these ideas to the unbalanced design does not represent as formidable a task for the nested design as it does for the crossed design. The sums of squares (7), appropriately modified for unbalanced designs, form the basis for the analysis. It is even possible to allow for varying numbers Ji of factor B for different levels of factor A. 3. Tests for variance components The appropriate test statistics for various hypothesis of interest can be determined by examining the expected mean squares in the table of analysis of variance. However, we encounter the difficulty that even under the normality assumption exact F tests may not be available for some of the   An analogous F statistic provides a test for H0:.b 2 =0 . Under the alternative no null hypotheses, these ratios are distributed as the appropriate ratios of multiplicative constants from (10) times central F random variables. Thus power calculations are made from central F tables for fixed effects models. The F tests of H :.2 =0 and H :.2 =0 mentioned in the 0 ab 0 a preceding paragraph are uniformly most powerful similar tests. However, they are not likelihood ratio tests, which are more complicated because of boundaries to the parameter space. Although their general use is not recommended because of their extreme sensitivity to no normality, confidence intervals can be constructed based on the distribution theory 10. The complicated method of Bulmer (1957), which is described in Scheffe [11 pg. 27-28], is available. However, the approximate method of Satterhwaite [10 pg. 110-114] may produce just as good results. The distribution theory for the sums of squares (7) used in conjunction with nested designs is straightforward and simple. To test the hypothesis H0:.b2 =0 one uses the F ratio MS (B)/MS(E), and to test H0:.a 2 =0 the appropriate ratio is MS (A)/MS (B). In all nested designs the higher line in the tier is always tested against the next lower line. If a conclusion is reached that .b2 =0 , then the test of H0:.a2 =0 could be improved by combining SS (B) and SS(E) to form a denominator sum of squares with I(J-1) + I J (n-1) degrees of freedom. Under alternative hypotheses these F ratios are distributed as central F ratios multiplied by the appropriate ratio of variances. This can be exploited to produce confidence intervals on some variance ratios. However, one still needs to rely on the approximate Satterhwaite [10 pg. 110-114] approach for constructing intervals on individual components. 4. Estimations of individual effects and overall mean For the two-way crossed classification with random effects interest The classical approach would be to use the estimates ?^ij = yij. The idea would be to shrink the individual estimates toward the common mean as in. where the shrinking factor S depends on the sums of squares SS (E), SS (AB), SS(B), and SS(A) . Unfortunately, the specific details on the construction of an appropriate S have not been worked out for the two-way classification as they have been for the one-way classification. Alternatively, attention might center on estimating a1,, aI , or, equivalently, on the levels of factor B. Again, specific estimators have not been proposed to date for handling this situation. In the nested design one sometimes wants an estimate and confidence interval for ?. One typically uses ?^= y . In the balanced case this estimator has variance. This can be estimated by MS (A)/I J n. In the unbalanced case an estimate for the variability of y can be obtained by substituting estimates .^2, .^b2 and 2 into the expression for the variance of y . Alternative estimators using different weights may be worth considering in the unbalanced case. 5. Conclusion Analysis of variance (ANOVA) models have become widely used tools and play a fundamental role in much of the application of statistics today. In particular, ANOVA models involving random effects have found widespread application to experimental design in a variety of fields requiring Two-Way Analysis of Variance for Random Models measurements of variance, including agriculture, biology, animal breeding, applied genetics, econometrics, quality control, medicine, engineering, and social sciences. With a two-way classification there are two distinct factors affecting the observed responses. Each factor is investigated at a variety of different levels in an experiment, and the combination of the two factors at different levels form a cross-classification. In a two-way classification each factor can be either fixed or random. If both factors are random, the model is called a random effects model. Various estimators of variance components in the two-way crossed classification random effects model with one observation per cell are compared under the standard assumptions of normality and independence of the random effects. Mean squared error is used as the measure of performance. The estimators being compared are: the minimum variance unbiased, the restricted maximum likelihood, and several modifications of the unbiased and the restricted maximum likelihood estimators.

Mrs. Mallards Character in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Essay

Socrates, a Greek philosopher once said: "Each one must know himself." Unfortunately, most of us are not aware of our true character. Social conventions are the main cause making us repress what we really think and feel. Only when unexpected events happen, we do have an opportunity to take a close look at our hidden "self.""The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin reflects the dramatic development process of Mrs.Mallard's character through the death of her husband; it demonstrates that the true identity cannot be sheltered forever. At the beginning of the story, the author describes Mrs.Mallard as a woman having the distinctive trait of self-assertion which is constrained by her marriage. She seems to be the "victim" of an overbearing but occasionally loving husband. Being told o...

To Kill a Mockingbird - Theme of Innocence :: Free Essay Writer

To Kill a Mockingbird - Theme of Innocence       Innocence is a time when a person has never done something, it is the first step of the theme of innocence to experience. The second step in the movement from innocence to experience, is experience. This step is what is achieved after a person or thing has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never know before. The theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in the first part of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This process is one of the central themes in the first eleven chapters of this book, because it shows how Scout and Jem change and mature.    In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many great examples of Jem or Scout moving from innocence to experience. One of these is on page 24 when Scout learns the proper way to treat a guest. After Scout has a fight with Walter Cunningham, Jem invites him to dinner. During the meal, Scout watches Walter pour a lot of syrup on his food. Thinking it unusual, Scout inquired about why he was doing it. Her comment embarrasses Walter. Calpernia, the housekeeper, brings her into the kitchen and tells her that she should never comment on the ways of their guest's eating habits or otherwise. To drive home her point, Calpernia not only informs Scout of her mistake, she slaps her.    Prior to these events happening, Scout had never know that it was improper to make fun of or judge a guest of the house. In her innocence, she had never before realized this behavior was inappropriate. The hit as well as the scolding have removed her innocence. Scout is now very aware of her mistake. With her new experience, she will most likely never embarrass a house guest again. She has learned her lesson.    In my life I have also gone through many situations that have taken me across the threshold of innocence to experience. One example of this would be, that when I was young, I was unaware that leaning back in a chair was dangerous. This would be my innocence, but one day when I was leaning back, I fell to the ground and took off the skin on my chin.

Bertrand Russell on Critical Thinking :: Critical Thinking Essays

Bertrand Russell on Critical Thinking The ideal of critical thinking is a central one in Russell's philosophy, though this is not yet generally recognized in the literature on critical thinking. For Russell, the ideal is embedded in the fabric of philosophy, science, liberalism and rationality, and this paper reconstructs Russell's account, which is scattered throughout numerous papers and books. It appears that he has developed a rich conception, involving a complex set of skills, dispositions and attitudes, which together delineate a virtue which has both intellectual and moral aspects. It is a view which is rooted in Russell's epistemological conviction that knowledge is difficult but not impossible to attain, and in his ethical conviction that freedom and independence in inquiry are vital. Russell's account anticipates many of the insights to be found in the recent critical thinking literature, and his views on critical thinking are of enormous importance in understanding the nature of educational aims. Moreover, it is argued that Russell manages to avoid many of the objections which have been raised against recent accounts. With respect to impartiality, thinking for oneself, the importance of feelings and relational skills, the connection with action, and the problem of generalizability, Russell shows a deep understanding of problems and issues which have been at the forefront of recent debate. The ideal of critical thinking is a central one in Russell's philosophy, though this is not yet generally recognized. Russell's name seldom appears in the immense literature on critical thinking which has emerged in philosophy of education over the past twenty years. Few commentators have noticed the importance of Russell's work in connection with any theory of education which includes a critical component. Chomsky, for example, reminds us of Russell's humanistic conception of education, which views the student as an independent person whose development is threatened by indoctrination. Woodhouse, also appealing to the concept of growth, points out Russell's concern to protect the child's freedom to exercise individual judgment on intellectual and moral questions. Stander discusses Russell's claim that schooling all too often encourages the herd mentality, with its fanaticism and bigotry, failing to develop what Russell calls a "critical habit of mind". (1) The threat of indoctrinatio n, the importance of individual judgment, and the prevalence of fanatical opinions all point up the need for what nowadays is called critical thinking; and Russell's work is valuable to anyone who wants to understand what this kind of thinking entails and why it matters in education.

Genie †The Wild Child Essay

Genie was discovered at the age of thirteen living completely isolated in a room in her parent’s house, with nothing to look at, restrained to a potty chair for most of her life. At this time, Genie was still wearing a diaper, did not have the ability to communicate and could barely walk. Her father’s reason for keeping Genie isolated was that he believed that she was retarded from birth. Her mother takes no responsibility, claiming she too was abused by her controlling husband. Both of her parents were charged with child abuse; but her father killed himself shortly after and her mother was able to beat the charges. Genie was taken to The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where she would meet several specialist assigned to her case. Shirley, an isolation specialist, stated that Genie was the most extreme case of isolation that he had encountered. Specialist started to run test to diagnose the extent of Genie’s deficiencies. Genie had a strange bunny walk, spat and clawed. It was believed that she was beat for making noise, so she remained silent. Was she born brain dead or did she become mentally challenged? First they conducted a test to monitor the electric activity in her brain. This four night study showed that Genie had a high number of sleep spindles, which shows abnormal brain wave patterns. By that spring, Genie had learned a hundred words and was beginning to speak verbally; which allowed her to express herself. Signs of her mental and physical growth were striving. She explored things using her lips and face. Doctors showed confidence in her success. Genie moved in with her Special Education teacher, Mrs. Butler. This was Genie’s first run in a foster home. Notes were taken on Genie’s obsession with hoarding objects, especially containers of liquid. This has also been recorded in other cases of isolated children. Mrs. Butler took it upon herself to cut off all contact with the other members of Genie’s case and filed a request to gain permanent custody, which was rejected by Social Services and Genie returned to Children’s Hospital for a short period of time. Genie was then placed with Mr. Riddler, who took on many of the roles in the case. Mrs. Riddler worked with Genie and taught her how to express her rage through fits, instead of physically hitting herself. She soon learned to verbally communicate her degree of unhappiness. Mrs. Riddle also helped Genie to verbalize memories from her past. Genie was able to use words and her vocabulary continued to grow. She started going to a nursery school and learned sign language. Case members still disagreed on Genie’s prognoses. Some believed that Genie was still brain dead from birth due to abnormal brain activity; while others believed that she had mental delays due to isolation, showing that her mental age was increasing. With all of Genie’s verbal achievements, she was not able to make grammatical sentences. In 1975 the research case on Genie ended and she returned to her mother’s care. Soon her mother realized that Genie was too much for her to handle and she was moved from foster family to foster family. Genie faced abuse and harassment during this time. In one situation, Genie was punished for vomiting, resulting in Genie refusing to open her mouth; ultimately, regressing Genie’s progress. Genie’s case strongly sides with the nurture debate. Emphasis is placed on Genie’s ability to overcome her early environment by allowing her to experience the world and to gain personal relationships. Genie’s ability to learn to verbalize after puberty shows that human development can occur and does not need to be learned during infancy. By Genie gaining personal relationships, she was able to learn how to express her emotions (happy, sad, angry). This proves that her environment is an important factor in her development. This study seems to be most consistent with Skinner’s Behavior Theory. Skinner believed that a person’s development was caused by the consequences of their behavior. An example would be when Genie was encouraged to speak and socialize, she did and enjoyed it. When Genie was punished for vomiting, she felt that opening her mouth was bad and stopped. Skinner also believed that the nurture side of the debate was important, development depends on experiences and people are shaped by their environment. All of which seem to be a theme in Genie’s case.

What’s Cause of Poverty in Africa?

Introduction: â€Å"Poverty is a state of not having enough money to take care of basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter† (Audu). In another word, people do not have sufficient income to purchase enough food. Africa is a continent known for its deep history and rich culture but also know as a continent battling against poverty and disease (Audu). Poverty in Africa has been rising for the last quarter century while it has been falling in the rest of the developing world.Poverty doesn’t result from just one or two causes. The problem entrenched poverty is extremely difficult to solve because of different factors and all interacting with one another. Three main sections cause poverty in Africa are economic, political and external. Body: Economic: Employment is the main route out of poverty for poor people in an undeveloped country. The government does very little to create more jobs for African nations even with students that graduates from college can’t fin d work.With the unemployment rate increase, a lot of Africans have turned into armed robbers, blood money rituals, and secret cults organization, migrating outside Africa and turning into prostitution in order to survive. Therefore, the economic productivity is low but poverty rate is high. When leaders are not accountable to those they serve then there is a sign of corruption. Corruption both in government and business place heavy cost on society because it plays a major cause and a result of poverty. It’s because poverty can be fought in the presence of strong institution, and equitable distribution of resources (Collier).However, programs that designed to fight poverty in Africa are not fully implemented because the funds end up in the hands of corrupt individuals, who pocket the majority (Bartle). This emphasizes poor governance because those in authority have failed to apprehend the corrupt. Therefore, it requires a non-corrupt government to turn public income into human development outcomes and strengthening of business confidence, economic and social. Political: Social inequality starts from cultural ideas about the relative worth of different genders, races, ethnic groups and social classes (Bartle).According to Jeff Stats, in African history, apartheid laws defined a binary caste system that assigned different rights and social spaces to different races, using skin color to determine the opportunities available to individuals in each group. Base on this law it’s very inequality for people in Africa because people who are in low class will never able to change their level since they don’t have the opportunity and options to change it. External: With constant war and conflict in Africa makes it very difficult to farm, to work for living or earn money.It’s hard to start ordinary life because many men are forces to flee from their homes to fight for the war. This will make the continent’s productivity goes down and pover ty rates go up. Another factor that cause poverty in Africa is diseases such as malaria, HIV, and TB. When a member in a household is affected by any of those diseases there is very little resources are spent on treating the sick. This lead to people who are left behind with no resources to support themselves and the situation is worsened by poor health facilities.

Culture and Communication Essay

The above figures show how different populations are spread in different countries all over the world. It implies that whenever we visit one country, we have to talk in a language that we shall be able to break communication barrier with our hosts. However, it has not been easy to break the cultural barrier between different communities. This is despite the fact that culture has appeared to be dynamic and changing with especially the changing technology. It has thus to be understood that cultural barrier is more than language barrier and if not carefully handled, the cultural barrier can provoke reactions that are negative and cause emotional reactions to the parties involved (Novinger, 2008). We need to understand that whatever that is taken to be of good behavior in one culture might actually be rudeness to others’ culture. You might also get that in one culture, there are issues that are very sensitive, but in actually sense, you don’t see them to be of any consequence in your own culture. This means that we need to understand the culture of the people we are in frequent communication with, so that we can speak the same culture rather than just speaking the same language (Gerry & Wilson, n. d). It is important to note that although there are various reservations given about the world of communication, there is need for having some good communication so that we carry on our culture, or else, the chances of such culture surviving might be minimal. Effect of culture on communication It is very difficult to discover the cultural inclination that is involved in communication by one person of a different culture to another. â€Å"The extend to which culture affects communication between people from different cultural groups is a function of the dissimilarity between the cultures, rules, or self concepts,† (Cushman & Cahn, 1984 pp 136). Culture is an important socialization aspect that can influence how we relate to other people and objects around us. The different in communication among people from different cultures comes from the uniqueness of the socialization process each has undergone. â€Å"Communication specialists estimate that some two-thirds to three-fourths of our communication take place nonverbally through behavior. Behavior itself is learned from our culture and all behavior communicates,† (Novinger, 2008 para 2). It is not possible to stop one from behaving in a certain way, and yet it is not possible to stop communicating. This means that at all time, we are constantly communicating in a behavior instilled in us by our culture. It is a common phenomenon for us to assume that our culture naturally shows how we are supposed to do things. In this aspect, we tend to look down upon other cultures as being less evolved. One might meet a person from one culture which might make them feel irritated by the fact that such a person might not be cooperative or might appear to be rude. It causes a lot of frustration when you find that a person you are having a conversation with is actually not getting what you are trying to put across. This might appear to you to be very simple, yet to the other partner, it is something that is complicated and new. It mostly depends on how the other party perceives issues altogether which might be completely different from your line of view. In this case, unless you see how the other person is perceiving the same information you are looking at, it will be very difficult to have a meaningful communication (LeBaron, 2003). In most instances, we have also assumed that our actions are governed by the free will. This is however not true since our culture is concerned with imposing certain rules unto us on the way we need to behave immediately we are born. Some common things that are leant at a tender age are when to talk and when not to talk, the gestures that are acceptable and the ones that are not, and we do also learn several table manners. In general, we learn on how to communicate with people in a manner that is totally acceptable to our culture. As Novinger (2008) argues, these communicative behaviors have some consequences, because as this â€Å"behavior is learned so well, it sinks to a subconscious level, so that when we interact with others, we operate on a sort of automatic pilot,† (para 4). While communicating to another person, it is rare to take note of whatever comes up during the communication which we consider to be normal. It is only the behavior that deviates from our cultural way of behaving that usually captures our attention much. In most instances, we take offence when such cases arise. We thus need to understand that the different way we perceive things from one culture does not necessarily mean that the other culture has a defect because of the perception they have on the same issue (Hauben, 1996). For instance, â€Å"Contrary to US culture, silence does not mean acceptance in other cultures,† (Sathyanarayan, n. d para 3). This means that there can appear some communication barrier in a meeting when one party has not understood anything and keeps quite. The other party may assume that by keeping quite, the other has fully understood what they were discussing, only to note that nothing has been put forward. This can be very frustrating especially if it is in a business entity and it might lead to a big loss to the business organization. In some instances, if the business or a project had a set deadline, a person will try to meet the deadline so as it does not appear like a case of disrespectful, yet in essence they are not sure of what is supposed to be done. This is usually common in relations that are still new. Another common cultural issue that can bring about communication barrier is that in some cultures, when in a meeting with high ranking officials, it is not good for members to give any contrary views. This means that despite the fact that a member might be having a certain pressing and important point but it is contrary to what the seniors are saying they might just keep quite. Therefore, a person from a different culture might be in problem understanding what is going on if they are in that kind of a meeting. In conclusions, we can say that it is easy to learn another person’s language to ease communication, but it is not enough, as there are a lot to be told by the culture which is usually portrayed in non verbal communication. Since culture is becoming very much dynamic, we can actually be able to learn the cultures of those we are constantly in touch with so that we can completely break the communication barrier. Reference: Cushman D P & Cahn D. D (1984): Communication in Interpersonal Relationships ISBN: 0873959094; SUNY Press Gerry & Wilson E (n. d): Communication and Culture, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://jmm. aaa. net. au/articles/85. htm Hauben M (1996): Culture and Communication, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. columbia. edu/~hauben/CS/usenet-culture. txt LeBaron M (2003): Culture and Conflict, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Sathyanarayan M. M (n. d): Managing Offshore Projects: How Culture Affects Communications and Deliverables, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. offshoringsuccess. com/offshore_hcacd. html The University of the South Pacific Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (n. d): Sample ELSE Test Questions, retrieved on 18th June 2008 from http://www. usp. ac. fj/fileadmin/files/academic/students/elsa_sample. pdf

An Analysis on the Interaction of the Different aspects on Human Development

Abstract The growing up process or the human developmental process has been an interesting topic of research in the field of Psychology. Great psychologists and sociologists have already provided up of the different theories and hypotheses about growing up. However, the application of these theories may not that easy for us to understand. Therefore this paper shall describe, compare, and contrast the developmental theories according to the psychodynamic, cognitive, learning, and humanistic perspectives.An Analysis on the Interaction of the Different aspects on Human Development  on the Overall Development of a Child Development or the growing-up process is the most crucial part of a person’s life. It is the time when changes in the cognitive, emotional, and biological aspects occur. Hence, this is the stage when a person needs utmost attention and guidance. This area has been a topic of interest for researchers for several years which led to the birth of Developmental Psycho logy as a separate field of study. Developmental psychology aims to grasp and provide a better understanding of the idea and significance of growing up in reaching a person’s full potential.To explain the process of human development, various theories were proposed by several psychologists. Hence, this paper aims to describe, compare, and contrast the developmental theories according to the psychodynamic, cognitive, learning, and humanistic perspectives. Psychodynamic Perspective Freud’s Psychosexual Theory There are various theories in studying the development in human life cycle. The first one is the Psychodynamic perspective. In this theory, the names Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson hover among the others.Freud’s theory attempts to explain human development through what he calls the psychosexual stages. According to his theory, sexuality starts at a very early stage in a person’s life. Each stage is identified according to the specific pleasure source a child has on that stage. In case that a pleasure urge is not gratified, it may eventually lead to various fixations later in a person’s life (Institute of Human Thermodynamics [IoHT], 2005). Freud enumerates the different psychosexual stages as follows: Table 1 – The Psychosexual Stages Stage Pleasure source Conflict/Fixation Oral  (birth-18months)Mouth Oral Fixation- excessive eating, drinking, smoking, and biting of nails Anal (2-4 years) Anus Anal fixation o Anal retentiveness- too much orderliness/ cleanliness o Anal repulsiveness- messy Phallic (4-5 years) Genitals Oedipus (boys) or Electra (girls) complex, Castration Anxiety, Penis Envy Latency (6-puberty) Repressed sexual urges Genital (puberty onward) Physical sexual changes reawaken repressed needs. Social rules Freud also emphasized the effects of the Id, Ego, and Superego in the developmental process of a child. The id is the pleasure seeking part of individuals.This is the source of biological needs and drives. On the other hand, the superego is oftentimes in conflict with the id because it consists of the moral part of individuals, and it is more popularly described as the voice of the conscience. Finally, the ego operates under reality, and it is further described by Freud as the conscious mind which contains one’s thoughts, judgments, and memories (IoHT, 2005). In summary, the three main concepts of Freud’s psychosexual theory are: (1) pleasure and fixation; (2) sexuality at an early age; and (3) id, ego, and superego.Pleasure and fixation deals about the pleasure sources of an individual per stage and the fixation that may come if that certain pleasure will not be gratified. Sexuality at an early age on the other hand talks about the sexual pleasures an individual experiences during the early periods of life, which Freud explain to be the major source of all our frustrations as we grow old. Lastly he also talks the id, ago and superego which, for Freud, are the ce ntral controllers of our behavior. Freud’s psychosexual theory is similar to other developmental theories in several ways. First, it summarizes the developmental process into stages.Second, like other theories, this theory also talks about a child’s needs and the importance of gratification. Finally, it associates consciousness as a factor in each stage. However, the psychosexual theory appears to be different from other psychosexual theory in various ways. One of its unique features is that it deals with sexuality in the early years of a child’s development. Another distinct characteristic of this theory is that it does not involve other emotional and external factors. Lastly, it does not include other areas of growth aside from the sexual development.Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory Erikson’s theory deals with personality development. In this theory, Erikson summarized the Psychosocial Development of a person into eight different stages. The 1) trus t vs. mistrust, 2) autonomy vs. shame, 3) initiative vs. guilt, 4) industry vs. inferiority, 5) identity vs. role confusion, 6) intimacy vs. isolation, 7) generativity vs. stagnation and 8) integrity vs. despair. In each stage, a person deals with a crisis based on physiological development and the demands from the parents, guardians, or the society (Clifton & Davis, 1995).In summary, the three main concepts of Erikson’s personality development theory are: (1) a person’s search for an identity, which answers the question of why an individual goes through the different psychosocial development stages; (2) psychosocial crisis, which talks about the social and personal difficulties and problems that a person experiences whenever he or she was not able to overcome a psychosocial stage successfully; and (3) the ego psychology in agreement with Freud’s ego concept, which explains that the ego primarily controls the way a person acts and socializes.Erikson’s psy chosocial theory appears to be similar to other developmental theories in numerous ways. First, like other theories, it summarizes the developmental process into stages. Second, it talks about a child’s needs and the importance of gratification as well. Last, the psychosocial theory associates the effects of the social environment with a child’s development. However, some features of the psychosocial theory make it distinct from the other developmental theories. One of these features is that it believes that the ego is of utmost importance.Another characteristic of this theory that sets it apart from the others is that it believes that both social and sexual factors play an important role in personality development. Finally, it also deals with mental health. Cognitive Developmental Theory The most renowned proponent of the Cognitive Development Theory is Jean Piaget. In this theory, he points out that cognitive development is a process where a child’s knowledge and awareness of his/her surroundings is a function of experience and time.Piaget claims that children have this so-called â€Å"reflexes† at birth which control their behavior (Huitt & Hummer, 2003). These reflexes are then replaced with constructed schemes. He described the processes as Assimilation and Accommodation. Assimilation pertains to the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in a pre-existing cognitive structure (Huitt & Hummer, 2003).On the other hand, accommodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment. Piaget further simplified his theory by enumerating what he called the stages of cognitive development: 1) Sensorimotor stage (infancy); 2) Pre-operational stage (toddler and early childhood); 3) Concrete Operational stage (elementary and early adolescence); and 4) formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood) (Preisser, 1997).In summary, the three main concepts of Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental theory are: (1) reflexes and schemas are the main factors of a person’s behavior; (2) assimilation and accommodation, where assimilation is the process of using or transforming the environment so that it can be placed in preexisting cognitive structures, while accomodation is the process of changing cognitive structures in order to accept something from the environment (Huitt & Hummer, 2003); and (3) constructivist learning, which explains that the learning is mostly dependent on the learner and the teacher.It is the learner who interacts with his or her environment and thus gains an understanding of its features and characteristics (Thanasoulas, 2003). Some traits of Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory are similar to other developmental theories include the following: (1) it summarizes the developmental process into stages; (2) it talks about a child’s needs and the importance of gratification; and (3) it emphasizes the role of the parents/guardians in a child’s development. However, certain characteristics of this theory make it unique and different from other developmental theories.These characteristics are as follows: (1) it focuses on mental development only; (2) it looks at the cognitive development not just as a series of several stages but also as a process as a whole; and (3) it does not look at the other factors, such as the social and emotional aspect of a child’s development. Learning Perspective: Social Learning Theory Among other theorists, Albert Bandura is considered as the leading proponent of this theory. According to J. E. Ormrod (1999), Social Learning Theory keeps its focus on the learning that occurs within a social context.This is means that people tend to learn through observation and modeling. This theory also proposes that learning is still possible to occur even without a change in behavior. This is because according to social psychologists, a person can learn through observation alone, and this may not manifest in one’s actions. The theory also states that learning becomes possible through cognition; that is, prediction of future rewards or punishments has a great effect on how a person behaves (Ormrod, 1999).In summary, the three main concepts of Bandura’s Social Learning theory are: (1) learning through observation and modeling, where people learn easily through observation and imitating another individual’s behavior; (2) cognition as a major factor of learning, which refers to an individual’s knowledge absorption, analysis, and processing; and (3) self-efficacy, which refers to how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Such beliefs produce these diverse effects through four major processes (Bandura, 1994).Bandura’s Social Learning appears to be similar to other theories as it: (1) focuses on mental and learning process; (2) emphasize the role of parents/guardians in a childâ€⠄¢s development; and (3) mentions about the significance of reinforcements in learning. However, this theory also differs from other theory because it: (1) emphasizes on modeling as a form of learning; (2) deals with self-efficacy; and (3) centers on the stages of the learning process rather than on the development process as a whole.Humanistic Perspective: Self Actualization and Hierarchy of Needs This theory is proposed by Carl Rogers. He explained through this theory that just like animals, plants, and other organisms, human beings have that natural urge to thrive and survive (Boeree, 2007). This theory also emphasizes the importance of positive regard and positive self-regard in the process of growing up which, he says, may eventually lead a person to accomplish his or her full potential and worth—the full functionality of a person.In summary, the three main concepts of Rogers’ Personality theory are: (1) self actualization which is concerned with the awareness or realization of one’s identity which helps to draw his/her utmost capabilities and potentials; (2) positive self-regard, which, just like self esteem and self confidence, helps build up an individual’s trust in his/herself that s/he can do anything that s/he endeavors; and (3) fully functioning person—a person who achieved self actualization and consistently has positive self-regard. Rogers’ Personality theory has characteristics that are similar to other developmental theories.These similarities include the following: (1) it sees people only as good, healthy, well, or ill; (2) it perceives mental health as a normal progression in life; and (3) it is person-centered (Boeree, 2007; Pescitelli, 1996). However, this theory has features that make it different from other developmental theories. These features include: (1) it is relatively simple; (2) it looks at cognitive development, not as a series of several stages but also as a process as a whole; and (3) i t does not take into consideration other factors such as the social and emotional aspect of a child’s development.Importance of Understanding the Developmental Theories in Helping Children Reach Their Potential All new born children need and deserve the attention, love, and support from their parents. However, the support and the care do not actually stop at that period of life; rather, it has only just begun. The most important period when a child needs proper care and guidance is during his/her early years. It is during this time when various factors, both internal (e. g. , thought processes) and external (e. g. , family), shape the personality of the child and what s/he can become (Day, 2008).It is also during this stage that children find their identity—who they want to be in the society and how they want to be treated as a person. In this development process, the cognitive, physical, and emotional aspects of a child are interrelated in a way that each one affects the child’s overall development in various ways. The cognitive aspect of a child’s development is directly connected to the other two since it is the mental processes which govern the rest of an individual’s activities and behavior.The physical aspect on the other hand is important to be developed properly since the physical capacities and limitations of an individual depend to that. Lastly, the emotional aspect also poses significance in a child’s development since this will determine how strong and how weak shall this person be in dealing with personal and social emotional issues in the future. Thus, the parents cannot just focus on one aspect of development; rather, these three aspects must be taken into consideration and must be given proper attention.In addition to this, a growing child is more vulnerable and more fragile compared to adults. For this reason, children must receive proper guidance in order for them to become good and useful members of the society. Through the theories discussed in this paper, it can be concluded that a child’s development is never as simple as gaining height and weight. It is not as plain as learning to write and read better through the days spent in school.In the process, the parents and the child’s environment actually mold him/her into a person who can reach his/her greatest potentials. If parents neglect or fail in this obligation, issues and problems may arise regarding a child’s attitude, behavior, and capabilities later on when s/he grows as an adult. Hence, just like a butterfly’s metamorphosis, parents want their children to grow with the most beautiful and strongest wings possible; that is, through understanding these developmental theories. References Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted in H. Friedman [Ed.], Encyclopedia of Mental Health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998) Boeree, C.G. (2007). Carl Rogers 1902-1987. Personality Theories. Retrieved October 16, 2008 from http://www.social-psychology.de/do/pt_rogers.pdf Clifton, A. and Davis, D., Psychosocial Theory: Erikson, Haverford College. Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/erikson.stages.html Day, A. (2008). Why understanding your child’s personality is so important. Helium. Retrieved October 16, 2008 from http://www.helium.com/items/942762-why-understanding-your-childs-personality-is-so-important Institute of Human Thermodynamics. (2005, December 26). Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory and Thermodynamics [1873-1923]. Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://www.humanthermodynamics.com/Freud.html Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human Learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Pescitelli, D. (1996). An Analysis of Carl Rogers’ Theory of Personality.Telford Hypnotherapy. Retrieved October 16, 2008 from http://www.telfordhypnotherapy.co.uk/An%20Analysis%20of%20Carl%20Rogers.doc Preisser, G. (1997). Theories and research. Developmental Psychology Student Net Letter, Mesa Community College. Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d46/psy/dev/Fall98/Theories/theories.html Thanasoulas, D. (2003). Constructivist Learning. Center for Southeast Asian Studies Northern Illinois University. Retrieved October 18, 2008 from http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Teachers_Page/Language_Learning_Articles/constructivist_learning.htm Syque. (2008). Freud’s psychosexual stage theory. Changing Minds. Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/freud_stage.htm