Family Law and the various areas that are involved in the legal Essay

Family Law and the various areas that are involved in the legal processes - Essay Example Another very detrimental part of this research is in the concept of domestic violence and how it is perceived in society. This is an issue that often goes unreported and therefore many cases are left with unanswered questions as to how and why it happens. The laws surrounding it are also included in this research. The main goal is to provide more insight into what laws are set up to assist families and protect their rights in various situations. Also, what new reforms are taking place and how they are being implemented and carried out to improve the quality of life for families The Family Law Act that was approved and passed in 1996 radically changed the way a lot of legal issues involving family related areas were previously handled. It has had a tremendous impact on specific views of divorce proceedings, consultations for marital breakdowns, the welfare of children, marriages that are of the same sex; and a mass variety of other family related areas. ... king a divorce are especially affected by the new legislation as instead of granting a quick divorce to a couple, the legalities have become stricter and now function in a slow and systematic process to allow for time to consider the well being of the children involved and the effect the divorce proceeding might have on both parties with consideration to finances and living accommodations. Now, more than ever before within the UK, marriage is being considered as a top priority. This specific area that unites a family is considered to be deserving of extra attention and efforts to maintain it and keep it from becoming a problem that disintegrates and deteriorates the whole family structure. Therefore, a good variety of legal implementations are being made in the family courts that have already been introduced to persuade couples from divorcing but rather seek counsel and evaluate their relationships thoroughly before opting to dissolve of them altogether. Marriage is a highly valued principle of life so there are certain steps that have to be taken before a petition for divorce will even be looked upon by the court system and achieve any form of consideration. Some of these phases of the family legal process have been placed in the following outline: The institute of marriage should be supported more so than divorce Any and all applicable steps to save the marriage should be utilized by the couple whether it be marriage counseling or by alternative means such as living apart for a specified period of time If the marriage is found to be unsalvageable it should be absolved with the least amount of stress possible to both parties and with respect for the children's welfare Consideration should be given to the children's needs and wants as well as their rights entitle

Elizabeth Woodville Essay Example for Free

Elizabeth Woodville Essay -Elizabeth meets Edward IV as he rides through her town. Elizabeth marries Edward IV in secret three days before he goes off to battle. Edward IV wins the battle and officially becomes King of England. -Elizabeth’s marriage to Edward is formally announced, angering many of Edward’s advisors. -Elizabeth has three daughters. -Elizabeth’s father and brother are taken by Warwick’s army and are beheaded. Her mother is also accused of witchcraft. -Elizabeth curses Lord Warwick and Duke George. -Elizabeth enters sanctuary as Edward goes once again to battle. -Elizabeth has a son named Edward. -Elizabeth also has another son named Richard. Also a short while later another named George. -Elizabeth sends her son Edward to Wales with her brother Anthony. -Her son George dies along with her mother. -Elizabeth has her last two children Catherine and Bridget. -Takes her children into sanctuary not trusting Richard to protect them. Richard captures Elizabeth’s brother Anthony, her son Edward, and her son Richard Grey. -Elizabeth’s marriage to Edward is declared invalid. -Elizabeth attempts to organize an uprising against Richard III. -Elizabeth is told that Richard III has killed her sons Edward and Richard. She does not believe this. -Elizabeth finally believes that her son Edward is dead. -Elizabeth after agreeing that her daughter will marry Richard III she sends for her son Richard and he is restored to her. The climax of Elizabeth’s character is when she finally believes that her son Edward is dead (489). This is because throughout the book her goal has been to make sure that one of her sons becomes the King of England. After this point she seems to come to terms with the fact that her family had its time in power and there is no more that she can do to further her family’s power. Elizabeth’s character goes through many changes throughout the novel. She begins not wanting to further herself in the royal court simply to get her husband’s lands returned to her. But when she finds herself falling in love with the king she gets a taste of the power of the Queen of England and cannot seem to give it up even when she could have saved many people by surrendering the throne. Edward IV -While riding out to battle meets Elizabeth Woodville and her two sons. -Calls for troops to muster and in doing so sees Elizabeth again and asks her to marry him in secret. -Edward wins the battle against King Henry VI, officially becoming King of England. -The King announces his marriage to Elizabeth and calls her to court. -His most trusted advisor the Earl of Warwick turns against him and puts his support behind Edward’s brother George Duke of Clarence. -Edward is captured by Richard Neville the Earl of Warwick’s army. Edward is released by the Earl of Warwick. -Edward is once again called to battle against Warwick, and Edward wins. Edward and his two brothers kill the old King Henry VI in the tower of London. -Edward learns of George’s plot against him and has him executed for treason. -Edward becomes ill. -On his deathbed he makes his advisors and his wife promise to work to protect his son and work together. -Edward dies leaving his brother Richard, as Royal protector. The climax for Edward’s character is when he becomes ill (341). His character in the story has been centered on him growing from a young naà ¯ve boy to a man of the world. He reverts back to his childish ways when he becomes sick. â€Å"As if he were still a boy and could take such risks with his health† (340). This is the climax because from this point on he tries to reconcile everything he can but ultimately fails in doing so before he dies. Edward’s character undergoes many changes throughout the portion of his life that is illustrated in this novel. He began as a young man who believed he was invincible and saw Elizabeth as the most beautiful lady in the country and felt that he had to have her. During his life in the novel he grows to understand that he is not invincible and he becomes very scared. This shows not that he was unintelligent at the beginning; he simply had not seen the terrors of the world yet. Then at the end of his life he returned to his childlike persona and tells Elizabeth â€Å"I am afraid again† (342). Shortly thereafter he dies. Part 2: Plot * Edward and Elizabeth meet and are married in secret. * Edward wins a battle against the old King Henry IV and becomes the official King of England. * Edward tells his advisor Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick that he is already married when Warwick tries to make him marry someone else. * Edward and Elizabeth have three daughters named, Elizabeth, Cecily, and Anne. * Warwick creates an uprising in England to usurp Edward IV and make George the Duke of Clarence king of England. * Warwick kills Elizabeth’s father and her brother. Warwick also captures but eventually releases Edward IV. * Elizabeth has a son named Edward. He becomes Edward the Prince of Wales. * King Edward with his brothers defeats Warwick in another battle. * Together Edward and Elizabeth have four more children. Only three survive past the age of two. * King Edward IV dies, leaving as his heir Edward the Prince of Wales under the protection of his brother Richard. * Elizabeth takes what is left of her family and moves into Westminster Abbey claiming sanctuary. * Richard declares Elizabeth and Edward’s marriage invalid and therefore he is the rightful heir to the throne. * Elizabeth receives news that Richard III has killed her sons. But does not believe that it is true. * Elizabeth sends her daughters to court after she finally understands that her son Edward most likely not returning to her. * Elizabeth’s daughter Elizabeth falls in love with Richard III. * Elizabeth’s daughter gains Elizabeth the right to return to court with her son if he is in hiding. Which he is. * Elizabeth’s son Richard is returned to her. The climax of the novel is when Elizabeth says â€Å"If Edward is alive, then pray God he will find his way to me. And there will always be a candle in the window to light his way home, and my door will never be locked, in case one day it is his hand on the latch.’ ‘But you don’t expect him anymore?’ ‘I don’t expect him’† (489). This is the climax because Elizabeth does not need her son to be King anymore she simply wants him to be alive. She seems to have given up her ambition to be mother of the heir to England. Part III: Symbolism/Theme Theme I: Loyalty is always changing; therefore do not expect anything from someone without giving them something in return. Theme II: Ambition Theme III: There can be no peace when fighting is within families. â€Å"These are hard times, and England is a country of sorrows. No mother can be sure that she will not bury her sons. When a country is at war, cousin against cousin, brother against brother, no boy is safe† (133). This is a theme of the novel because Symbol I: The Tower of London represents false security. This symbol can be tied to the theme that no one is safe when fighting is between families. Symbol II: The white rose represents loyalty to the House of York but it is also represents hidden loyalties because in this time Loyalties could be seemingly to the house of York but really to the House of Lancaster. The white rose represents the theme of changing Loyalties. Symbol III: The River represents that even in Death life goes on. Part IV: Figurative Language 1. â€Å"It is an enchantment? You are Melusina? A beautiful goddess bathing in the woods and he that just departed was a knight sworn to your service? This is Camelot now? An honorable love?† (58). The allusions to both Melusina and Camelot enhance this passage in showing Elizabeth’s brother Anthony’s point of view on the marriage of Elizabeth to Edward. He was against it and used the allusions to compare well known love stories of Guinevere and Lancelot to show Elizabeth that her marriage was not honorable and was not for love. 2. â€Å"No one knows better than she how to plow the furrow that is Royal England† (77). This metaphor enhances the novel by comparing the royal court to a narrow trench; it is like saying that there is only a small margin for error in anything small and tight. Thus, by comparing the Court to a furrow, the metaphor is characterizing the Court of England as a small tight group of people not likely to accept mistakes. 3. â€Å"It is as if there are ghosts here. Are my boys staying here tonight?† (97). This statement is foreshadowing because Elizabeth instantly dislike the Tower of London but cannot say entirely why, but as illustrated through her question about her children it is somehow connected to them and as the story goes on the reader learns that her son dies in the tower. 4. â€Å"At once she takes a pair of silver scissors from her pocket and cuts the other two threads so whatever was tied on is swept away into the dark waters. ‘What were they?’ ‘They are the things that will never happen; they are the future we will never know. They are the children who will not be born and the chances that we won’t take and the luck that we won’t have,’ she says. ‘They are gone. They are lost to you. See instead what you have chosen.’† (143). This exchange between Elizabeth and her mother is used as foreshadowing. It foreshadows the death of her two sons by the two threads that represent the future that they will never know. Just like they will never fully know what happened to Elizabeth’s sons. 5. â€Å"Let you be the last York who dies in the Tower of London. Let it end here† (333). This shows foreshadowing because as the reader learns her sons, Edward and the page boy she sent to pretend to be Richard, die in the Tower of London. This enhances the passage because it makes Elizabeth seem partially responsible for the deaths of her children. Part V: I mostly agree with Philippa Gregory’s portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville in the White Queen, although there are a few things that I do not think were entirely historically accurate. Gregory’s use of magic throughout the novel as seen through the water goddess Melusina, did not appear in my research. Although she was accused of witchcraft once I doubt she practiced it as often as the novel suggests. I also do not agree with the plot point that Elizabeth sent a pageboy instead of her second son to the tower to be with her first, sending her second son away, because if she had done so the second son would have appeared in history. Therefore I think that Philippa Gregory took some liberties in writing the novel but most other aspects were accurate. Essential Question Essay â€Å"To truly test a man’s character, give him power.† These wise words of Abraham Lincoln apply perfectly to Elizabeth Woodville. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory raises many points about humanity, but the character flaw constantly suggested is need for power. When do the costs of power and ambition become too much to outweigh the benefits? Elizabeth Woodville first learned of the costs that come from the need to expand power when she lost her first husband in the Battle of St. Albans (22). He was fighting for King Henry VI, who was being usurped by the House of York who were fighting to claim what they believed was their rightful place as the rulers of England. Elizabeth gained no benefits from the York’s ambition to become King. She had also lost her husband’s lands and had no way to gain them back. After marrying the King, Elizabeth had her first taste of power. She greatly influenced many marriages and placed her family in high positions of power. The costs for these great successes were also quite significant. In an attempt to place her family in even higher positions she alienated the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville, who had not liked her from the time he met her. Warwick was not content to sit by and watch as his control was taken away. So in return he attacked the Kingdom and in doing so killed Elizabeth’s father and brother. To Elizabeth’s mother, the death of her husband and son began to weigh heavily on her, as much as she had wanted her family in power, she was not willing to sacrifice her entire family for the York cause, and died shortly thereafter. Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth sees the many costs that her mother’s ambition has caused her family. The young Elizabeth recognized unlike her mother that by caring more for the crown than she did for her children, her mother caused more harm to come to the family. The young Elizabeth also believed that in sending an innocent boy in place of her son, who would be killed in the Tower of London, her mother overstepped the boundary between what was right and what was wrong. Elizabeth never fully came to the understanding that her ambition was a significant part in the death of many of her kinsmen. Through her voice in the novel she never takes the blame for the death of her family but does continue to search for power. When Richard III had taken the throne he had left her with nothing to go on. She had thought her heirs were dead but then when her daughter is asked by Richard III to marry him, Elizabeth shows that, â€Å"despite my own caution, despite my own fears, I start to hope. I start to think that if King Richard marries Elizabeth and makes her his queen I will be welcome at court again, I will take my place as My Lady, the Queen’s Mother† (509). Elizabeth in saying this at the end of the novel shows that despite the deaths that her ambition has caused she was still willing to risk many more to further herself and her family in England’s royal court. Gregory uses The White Queen to express an essential flaw in human nature: the spoils of pride. The addressing of when ambition is taken to far is not in what the characters feel and express it is in what they do not express where the answer is illustrated. At the commencement of the novel Elizabeth’s character is rel atable but throughout the novel she becomes harder to relate to.

Work Force Education or Literacy Development: Which Road Should Adult Education Take? :: Adult Work Education Job Essays

Work Force Education or Literacy Development: Which Road Should Adult Education Take? The world of work continues to change rapidly. Many workers will need to upgrade their skills and some will need to be retrained for entirely new jobs. Providing educational opportunities to these adult workers will lengthen their productive years and will also benefit the economy by creating a more flexible and more highly trained workforce. (U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan, 1998-2002, 1997, p. 39) Our democratic institutions depend upon and are sustained by an educated citizenry. While moving from welfare to the workforce and creating economic advancement are valid outcomes of education, democracy demands much more. Democratic life requires critical inquiry, civic participation, and a commitment to the common good. (Auchter 1998, p. 2) During the past few years, the nations economic needs have driven many of the policy discussions within education. At the federal level, Congress has considered and debated bills that would consolidate a number of educational programs--including adult basic education and vocational education--into omnibus work force development and training bills. Provisions for block grants that would allow states greater autonomy and latitude in making decisions about how the funds are used have been included in these proposed acts. None of these education bills has passed, but the debate continues. In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. More commonly known as the Welfare Reform Act, this legislation not only created sweeping changes in welfare policies that affected education and training, it also provided block grants that give states greater flexibility (Nathan 1997). A number of states have responded to the move at the federal level toward greater state autonomy and control by merging education, human services, and employment service agencies to create "super agencies" to oversee state work force development efforts, including adult basic education, welfare reform, and vocational education (Jurmo 1996). The increasing emphasis on work force development as a policy goal is bringing to the forefront a continuing debate within the field of adult basic education. Although adults frequently enroll in adult basic education for job-related reasons, the programs themselves have always had broader goals. In an effort to shed light on current perspectives about the goals and purposes of adult basic education, this Digest reviews recent literature and suggests solutions to what frequently becomes an "either-or" debate. The Current Context: Its Impact on Adult Basic Education

More Than Just the Disease Essay

Choose a novel or short story which deals with an important human issue: for example, poverty, war, family conflict, injustice, or any other issue you regard as important More Than Just the Disease by Bernard MacLaverty is a short story which deals with the themes of class distinction, rights of passage and a person suffering mentally which effects the characters in the short story. There is conflict between the two main characters Neil and his mum. This short story gives you an insight into some problems which are a part of today’s society. In the text Neil goes to stay with his friend Michael and his family and soon realises it is nothing like his own house. When it comes to bedtime Neil takes his pyjamas to the bathroom and buttoned his jacket right to the top. Here he is trying to hide his problem. Things like this happen throughout the story as Michael tries to get him to go swimming and Neil makes up a lot of excuses not to go this implies he doesn’t want anyone to know about his psoriasis. At the end Neil has a conversation with Mrs Wan, when he finds her cat and takes it back to her. He finds himself telling her all about his disease. After she reassures him that there is nothing wrong with it and he should not let it take control of his life -like his mum does- Neil comes to terms with his disease. Michael and Neil go swimming that night after Michael finds Neil with his shirt open and shows that it doesn’t bother him. . Neil’s mum puts a lot of pressure on Neil which leads to the conflict between them. Most of the story is written as dialogue which brings out the characters personalities. Although there is a lot of conversation between Neil and Mrs Wan and Neil and Michael there is no conversation at all between Neil and his mum. This also shows the conflict between them. The short story is written in third person omniscient this means that the narrator is not a character in the story and is able to describe everything in the story. More Than Just the Disease is a short story where very little seems to happen, yet the main character is very deeply influenced by what does happen.

Psychology Development in Chine

History and Systems of psychology PSYC 331 Dr. Bihan Al Qaimari Midterm Paper â€Å"Development of Psychology in China† Name: Ahmad Shiber Student number: 1071843 Introduction: When we started this class, we started learning the history of psychology, its theories, and its development. I couldn’t help but notice that the course curriculum is focused on European and American psychologists and their theories, which gives us a very westernized view of psychology and the nature of humans and their humanity.Studying psychology from a western point of view also limits the horizons of applying psychology and how it explained since it will be connected to mainly western church ideologies and financial and political systems are in the west like capitalism and democracy. I developed an interest in far eastern cultures four years ago studying the common religions in that region basics of languages spoken there, and I even started studying the Japanese language as a second language .Thus, I was interested of how these cultures saw psychology and compare their psychological thinking with Greek and Islamic psychological thinking and philosophy which was covered in class. I was amazed by the sheer amount of knowledge these cultures had offered in psychology and I was disheartened on how it is almost never mentioned in psychology classes or when mentioned it gets marginalized. Of all the cultures that constitute the Far East, I chose China.In this paper I will discuss the development of psychology in this country from its historical roots till the modern day, along with all the ups and downs of this field. I hope to shed light on the amazing contributions to the psychology field in particular, and to humanity in general. Attachment: a brief description of Chinese culture of well being. The Historical Roots: Modern psychology was brought to China from the West in the late 1800s, but the study and discussion of psychological issues had a long history in ancient Chin a. Read also Memory – ForgettingEarly psychological thinking in China not only was contained in diverse philosophical, political, military, and other literature but was also expressed through various practices in education, medicine, and human resource management. The influence of Chinese culture on world psychology has been widely recognized in current literature in the field and is attracting more and more attention (Jing, 1994; Murphy & Kovach, 1972; Wang, 1993). In China a rich body of psychological thought existed in the writings of the ancient Chinese philosophers.One of the most important figures was Confucius (551-479 B. C. ) whose teaching has, for centuries, exerted a profound influence on the development of China's cultural history. Confucian thinking emphasized the discussion of human nature, education, human development, and interpersonal relationships. For example, when Confucius discussed human nature, he asserted that â€Å"human nature is the order of heavenâ₠¬  (Jing, 1994, p. 668). By this Confucius meant that our patterns of existence are determined by Nature or by God.He did not address this issue in order to differentiate whether human nature was good or evil but proposed it as a common heritage upon which personal and mental development could be based through education: â€Å"By nature close to each other, but through practice far from each other† (Analects 17:2, Dawson, 1993). This means that people are similar when they are born but that they become different as a result of social molding; hence the importance of learning. Confucius was a famous teacher as well as a philosopher; he advocated that all people should be educated, irrespective of their abilities.He categorized people into three types: superior, medium, and inferior and concluded that everyone should be educated according to their abilities. These ideas are in agreement with the modern idea of everyone's right to an education and the concept of individual diff erences and the need to provide education in a suitable form for all to benefit, whatever their abilities. With regard to human development, Confucius viewed this as a life-long process as stated in the summary of his own life:. At fifteen I set my mind on learning, at thirty I became firm in my purpose; at forty I was free from doubts; at fifty I came to know fate; t sixty I could tell truth from falsehood by listening to other people; at seventy I followed my heart's desire without trespassing the norm of conduct. (Analects 2:4; Tang, 1996). A distinctive feature of this outlook is an emphasis on the development of wisdom and social maturity at a later age. Contrary to some modern thinking that human development is primarily an early childhood process (as has been proposed by Freud or Piaget), Confucius gave new insight with the view that development is a life-long process. In addition to Confucianism, other Chinese philosophies such as Taoism and Zen Buddhism were also important. For instance, Chinese Taoist scholars considered that opposition exists everywhere in the universe and that the synthesis of contrary systems operates to form an integrated unity that is a manifestation of the power and operation of the Yang and the Yin, the alternating forces expressive of light and darkness, birth and decay, male and female. These powers, which in their combined operation form the Tao, the Way, the great principle of the universe, are the mainspring of every activity, the mechanism of constant change and balance, which maintains the harmony of the cosmos. (Fitzgerald, 1976, p. 220). According to Lao-tzu (570-490 B.C. ), the reputed founder of Taoism, nature keeps a proper balance in all its working. If any activity moves to an extreme in one direction, sooner or later a change occurs to swing it back toward the opposite. This thinking may have influenced Jungian psychology, for â€Å"Jung discovered the self from Eastern philosophy and characterized it ‘as a kind of compensation for the conflict between inside and outside † (Jung, as cited in Kuo, 1971, p. 97). In addition, recent findings indicate that the self-actualization theories of Rogers and Maslow bear certain similarities to concepts in Taoism and Zen Buddhism (e. . , Chang ; Page, 1991; Ma, 1990). The practice of naive psychology was widespread in ancient China, and many present-day psychology applications could trace their roots to thousands of years ago. For instance, in Medical Principles of the Yellow Emperor, the first Chinese encyclopedia of medicine, published about 2,000 years ago, links between brain pathology and psychological problems were described, and a bio-psycho-social model was the main approach to medical and mental treatment (Wang, 1993).Another famous ancient Chinese text, Sun-tzu's classic book The Art of War, was written 2,500 years ago. It is a treatise on strategies of warfare containing an analysis of human nature, organization, leadership, the effects of the environment, and the importance of information and may have influenced the development of modern organizational psychology. The most important contribution of Chinese culture to the application of psychology is that of mental testing. It is common to think of testing as both a recent and a Western development. The origins of testing, however, are neither recent nor Western.The roots of psychological testing can be traced back to the concepts and practices of ancient China for some 3,000 years (Anastasi, 1988; Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1993). Various methods for measuring talent and behavior were popular, such as observing traits from behavioral changes, identifying intelligence by response speed, eliciting personality across situations, and measuring mental attributes through interviews (Lin, 1980). The purpose of all these tests was to allow the Chinese emperor to assess his officials' fitness for office. By the time of the Han Dynasty (206 B. C. to A. D. 20), the use of t est batteries (two or more tests used in conjunction) was quite common in the civil service examination system (Zhang, 1988) with essay writing and oral exams in topics such as civil law, military affairs, agriculture, revenue, and geography. Tests had become quite well developed by the time of the Ming Dynasty (A. D. 1368-1644). During this period, there was a national multi-stage testing program that involved local and regional testing centers equipped with special testing booths. Those who did well on the test at the local level went on to the provincial capital for more extensive essay examinations.After this second testing, those with the highest test scores went on to the nation's capital for a final round of examinations. Only those who passed this third set of tests were eligible for public office. It is probable that the Western world learned about these national testing programs through exposure to the Chinese during the 19th century. Reports by British missionaries and di plomats encouraged the British East India Company to copy the Chinese system in 1832 as a method for selecting employees for overseas duty.Testing programs worked well for the company, and the British government adopted a similar system of testing for its civil service in 1855. Later, French, German, and American governments in succession endorsed it, and the testing movement in the Western world has grown rapidly since then (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1993). Testing was also well developed in ancient Chinese folk culture. An article written by a scholar, Yen (531-590), indicated that, the so-called â€Å"testing the child at one year of age† was a popular custom in southern China.On a child's first birthday, he/she would be placed on a large table full of food, clothing, paper, pens, jewelry, toys, books with, in addition, an arrow and sword for the boys, and needle and thread for the girls. The baby was encouraged to crawl freely and pick up the item he or she liked best. By observ ing what the baby grasped first, the proud parents projected the baby's intelligence, personality characteristics and aptitude by the things taken from the table. This custom lasted until the 20th Century. (Zhang, 1988, p. 02). Although clearly not a test by modern standards, it does illustrate a willingness to assess individual differences by concrete means. Zhang (1988) also noted that Lin Xie, a well-known 6th century scholar, designed what appeared to be the first experimental psychological test in the world. He asked people to draw a square with one hand and at the same time draw a circle with the other. His aim was to show that, with interference from the attempt to do the second task, neither task could be done correctly.Interestingly, Binet in the 1890s developed a similar test as part of the early psychological work on the effect of distraction (internal and external) on mental tasks (Pillsbury, 1929; Woodworth & Marquis, 1949). Binet may have been aware of the Chinese hist ory. This review is only a brief discussion of the historical background of Chinese psychology. However, psychology in China did not develop into a systematic discipline, despite the fact that the concepts of psychology have deep roots in Chinese civilization dating back almost 2,500 years.Furthermore, few empirical studies have been done in this area of knowledge in China, compared with studies done in the Western world. Thus, Chinese psychology has lacked a scientific basis because of the belief that Chinese scholars should only concern themselves with â€Å"book learning, literature, history and poetry–but not with science† (Fitzgerald, 1976, p. 274). When Chinese intellectuals began the reform movement in the early 1900s, they promoted an uncompromising rejection of Chinese traditions (especially those with Confucian roots) and advocated total or whole-hearted Westernization, in terms of science.Chinese psychology became a graft product of Western and Soviet psycho logy (Barabanshchikova & Koltsova, 1989). Early Chinese psychologists had adopted the Western ideas of behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and gestalt psychology, and the works of Pavlov, Bekhterev, and Komilov were translated from the Russian. Nowadays, however, more and more scholars taking the cross-cultural view of psychology (e. g. , Matsumoto, 2000) have realized that it is not appropriate simply to apply Western theories to explain the behavior of the Chinese or any other cultural group.Although the collection process has not been fully carried out, some Chinese psychologists (such as Gao, 1986) have started their exploration of the old studies and literature to search for the roots of Chinese psychology. Those valuable assets of the old civilization, when thoroughly explored, may give us new insights into the understanding of contemporary psychology. For example, researchers are studying early writings on traditional Chinese medicine and translating their conclusions into testable hypotheses of therapeutic effectiveness (Lee & Hu, 1993; Li, Xu, & Kuang, 1988; Tseng, 1973).This kind of work is also significant in cross-cultural studies and has particular relevance in the Chinese context. Development of Modern Chinese Psychology: Chinese psychology began a long time ago, but the modern scientific method is only recent. However, the era of modern Chinese psychology commenced in the late 1800s with the dissemination of Western psychology in China along with other Western influences. Chinese students who had studied in the West brought back ideas fundamental to modern psychology and translated Western books.In 1889, Yan Yongjing translated a Japanese version of Joseph Haven's Mental Philosophy (1875), which was regarded as the first Western psychology book to be published in China (Kodama, 1991). Psychology as an independent scientific discipline was first taught in some Chinese pedagogical institutions at the turn of this century. The Chinese educational reformer , Cai Yuanpei, who studied psychology at Wilhelm Wundt's Laboratory in Leipzig and who later became president of Beijing University, set up the first psychology laboratory at Beijing University in 1917 (Jing, 1994).In 1920, the first psychology department was established in South Eastern University in Nanjing (Li, 1994). In August 1921, the Chinese Psychological Society was formally founded. Unfortunately, its activities were interrupted by the Sino-Japanese war. Meanwhile, some Chinese scholars finished their studies in Western universities and returned to China to teach and do research in psychology. They played important roles in laying the foundation for the development of modern Chinese psychology. One of the most widely known Chinese psychologists from that period was R. Y.Kuo, who went to the University of California at Berkeley in 1918 and returned to China in 1929. As a behaviorist, his major contributions were in the field of the developmental analysis of animal behavior a nd the nervous system (Brown, 1981). Another influential figure was P. L. Chen, known as the founder of Chinese industrial psychology, who carried out field studies in Chinese factories after studying under Charles Spearman of University College London. Later, Chen's study on the G factor was translated and noted as an achievement in the developing understanding of intelligence (Wang, 1993).Another was S. Pan, who obtained his Ph. D. in Chicago in 1927, having worked with Carr on the influence of context on learning and memory. He later became president of the Chinese Psychological Society when it was re-established in 1955 after the People's Republic of China was founded. In short, from the 1920s through the 1940s, Chinese psychology was oriented mainly toward Western psychology and in fact was not different from the latter. Experimental approaches were emphasized, and Chinese psychologists were strongly influenced by the schools of functionalism, behaviorism, and the Freudians.Psy chology was basically an imported product whose general development was slow because of the unstable social environment in China during this period. After the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, psychology was reestablished under the auspices of the Communist Party. The new psychology took Marxism-Leninism and Mao's thought as the basic philosophy underlying its psychological theory. For instance, Marxism's materialist dialectics saw psychology (apart from experimental psychology) as entirely hypothetical and, therefore, not materialist and not permitted.Although the Western psychology of the 1930s was well known, it was rejected after 1949 because of its capitalist nature. Chinese psychology during the mentioned time period was guided by the slogan â€Å"Learn from the Soviet Psychology† (Barabanshchikova ; Koltsova, 1989, p. 118), and books by Soviet psychologists (Pavlov, Luria, Sechenov, etc. ) were translated into Chinese; Chinese students and postgraduates began to study in Russia rather than in the United States (Barabanshchikova ; Koltsova). Soviet psychology focused on the relationship between psychology nd the workings of the central nervous system, especially as shown in the work of Pavlov with animals, whereas Western psychology with its emphasis on individual differences was seen as a â€Å"tool of the bourgeoisie,† which contradicted the Marxist doctrine that states that people are primarily shaped by their social class. Jing (1994) noted that as in the Soviet Union in the 1940s and in 1950s, there were no independent departments of psychology in Chinese universities. Psychology was a secondary discipline in the departments of philosophy or education. It was only 30 years later, after the Chinese Cultural Revolution, that independent departments of psychology were reestablished in Chinese universities). (p. 670). Psychology had a preliminary development in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1958, the Institute of Psychology was se t up as a part of the Chinese Academy of Science, where, because it was classified as a science, its funding was more favorable than that of other social sciences. About half of the 3,000 Chinese psychologists then worked in normal universities or pedagogical institutes in the fields of developmental and educational psychology (Jing, 1994).Some basic psychological studies were also carried out on perception, conceptual development, memory, and physiological psychology. The publication of three important Chinese textbooks in the early 1960s reflected a significant development of teaching and research during that period: general psychology (Cao, 1963), educational psychology (Pan, 1964), and child psychology (Zhu, 1962). However, the development of psychology was not smooth because of the ebb and flow of political movements. Even though it is a science, psychology could be construed as an ideology and hence a threat to the doctrine promulgated by the ruling regime or by influential se gments of society,† noted Leung and Zhang (1995, p. 694). Jing (1994) gave an explanation for this statement. He described the 1958 campaign against the â€Å"bourgeois direction in psychology† that criticized the â€Å"globalization† and â€Å"abstractionism† of psychology. This criticism was aimed at basic research with controlled experiments. In China, confounding political matters with academic ones led to the suppression of certain subfields in psychology.For example, social psychology and psychological testing were abolished â€Å"on the grounds that the former ignored the class nature of social groups, and the latter stressed too heavily individual differences rather than social differences† (Jing, 1994, p. 671). The only social psychology articles then published were criticisms of the bourgeois and idealist values of Western psychology. As Brown (1983) noted, Western theories were viewed as a tool for exploiting the working class and a false bourgeois science, which contradicted the Marxist framework of historical materialism.Kuo (1971) gave some interesting examples of how Western-style psychological research was seen to be politically dominated. For example, Kretch and Crutchfield's proposed social psychology program for factory managers to help eliminate conflict between workers and factory owners was described as actually intended â€Å"to iron out the class struggle, to diminish the proletarian's fighting will for revolution, and to sacrifice the proletarian basic profits in order to meet the need of capitalists† (p. 100).For these reasons, between 1966 and 1976, during the period of the Cultural Revolution, psychology was attacked by the extreme leftist revolutionaries as a â€Å"bourgeois pseudo-science† and was uprooted completely as a scientific discipline. Leading psychologists were labelled as â€Å"reactionary academic authorities,† scientific research and teaching institutions were dis solved, and psychologists were dispatched to remote areas of the country to work on the farms. The disaster lasted until the termination of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. (Jing, 1994, p. 72). In a later article (1995) Jing commented that this was a â€Å"dark period† for psychology in China and lamented the â€Å"great price to be paid for political interference in science† (p. 719). Happily, Chinese economic reform launched an open-door policy to the outside world in the late 1970s, and psychology was rehabilitated as a scientific discipline. Both the Chinese Psychological Society (CPS) and Institute of Psychology have resumed their academic activities; research in, and application of, psychology is being carried out all over China.With increased international exchanges, new ideas and areas of research such as cognitive psychology and counseling psychology have become popular. For example major cities now have counseling telephone hot lines (Xu, Guo, Fang, & Yan, 19 94), many high schools have their own counselors, and cognitive behavior therapy is a popular new approach to psychiatric problems. Chinese counseling models have to adapt to the characteristics of Chinese clients and counselors (Wang, 1994). Many Chinese psychologists visited other countries, and psychologists from abroad visited China and lectured in China's universities.Thus began a more favorable environment for the present development of Chinese psychology. Wang (1993) gave a good picture of the current scene: By 1991, the CPS had more than 2,900 members, two thirds of whom were developmental and educational psychologists. The CPS has 11 special divisions of psychology, including educational, developmental, medical, general-experimental, industrial, sports, physiological, judicial psychology, and psychological measurement. Each province has its own psychological association such as counseling (Wang, 1993, p. 92).Because psychology restored its momentum in the late 1970s, Chines e psychologists have reached a consensus on building psychology with Chinese characteristics (Chen, 1993; Shi, 1989). Yue (1994) reflected on the need for Chinese psychologists to strengthen their theoretical roots and bind their work closely to life in China. Wang (1993) concluded that much recent Chinese psychological research has been closely linked with economic and social reform, technological developments, and applications of psychology (e. g. , the design of Chinese language computers, the effects of the single-child policy).Bond (1996) and the Chinese Culture Connection (1987) noted that Chinese society is still shaped by Confucian values such as filial piety and industriousness, the saving of face, and the networks of personal relationships. Even in 1922, Chinese psychologists were exhorted to unearth existing Chinese materials, investigate new materials from overseas, and based on these two sources, invent our own theories and experiments †¦ the content must be approp riate to the national situation, and the form, must insofar as is possible, be of a Chinese nature. Jing ; Fu, 1995, p. 723). In experimental psychology, the Chinese language with its ideographic characters has become a subject of great interest (see Bond, 1986, for some examples). Extensive studies are being carried out in this field, including ideographic and sound characteristics of Chinese characters; the relationship between Chinese languages and Western languages; the hemispheric laterality of information processing of the Chinese language; and reading and comprehension of the Chinese language.Because of the importance of the application of these studies to school education, artificial intelligence, and industrial technology, many Chinese psychologists are collaborating in their research efforts in the hope of finding some answers, such as how to simplify the typing of Chinese characters on computers (Tan ; Peng, 1991; Yu, Feng, ; Cao, 1990; Zhang ; Shu, 1989; Zhang, Zhang, ; Peng, 1990). Developmental psychology is another area of intensive study.There are 300 million children in China, and any new knowledge acquired in the field would have important implications for the education of this next generation (Jing, 1994). For example, Mei (1991) demonstrated that the remote rural minority people's tradition of keeping their babies propped up in sandbags for most of their first 6 months resulted in lower IQ scores up to the age of 16. Much has been published on concept development, language development, the development of thinking, personality, and moral development, gifted children, and slow learners (see Dong, 1989; Liu, 1982; Zhu & Lin, 1986).These findings have been applied to improve the teaching and testing of children, such as the development of the standardized Higher Education Entrance Examination. In addition, since the national family planning and birth control program was implemented in the mid-1980s the characteristics of the only-child policy h ave been a hot topic (Chen, 1985; Falbo & Poston, 1993; Jing, 1995). For example, Ying and Zhang (1992) found that rural Chinese still expected their children rather than the government to support them in their old age. This will clearly be a burden on a single child with four dependent grandparents.Psychologists are concerned with the school achievement and social development of these only children as well as the social psychological effects and personality problems that may be encountered in the future. Within this area, cross-cultural psychology studies among China's minority groups offer an important new prospect (Hong ; Wang, 1994; Xie, Zhang, Yu, ; Jui, 1993). In the field of medical and clinical psychology, besides the introduction of Western psychotherapeutic methods (behavior modification, group therapy, psychoanalysis, etc. ), the demonstration of the effectiveness of some traditional Chinese medical treatments (e. . , acupuncture, see Ng, 1999a) and therapies (e. g. , qig ong ; taichi, see Ng, 1999b) has been a significant development (San, 1990; Sun, 1984; Wang, 1979). Moreover, many psychologists are also involved in the process of modernization in industrial, military, and educational areas, playing important roles in policy making. For example, psychometricians helped to initiate the standardization of college entrance examinations. In personnel selection for the Air Force, psychologists are widely consulted and are actively participating in the design of selection procedures (Hao, Zhang, Zhang, ; Wang 1996).Industrial psychologists also make their contribution to the establishment of color standards of industrial illumination as well as to the developments of signs and symbols for technical products. The role of psychology has become increasingly prominent in China's rapid modernization and economic and social development. Disadvantageous Factors that May Impede the Development of Psychology: Although psychology is recognized by the Chinese gove rnment and is enjoying apparent prosperity at the moment, its future status is questionable.The development of psychology is contingent on economic growth. Compared with the other natural sciences (such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry), the development of psychology depends especially on the resources and prevailing intellectual practices of that country. It was reported in the mid-1980s that there were well over 60,000 psychologists who belonged to the American Psychological Association (Mays, Rubin, Sabourin, & Walker, 1996), whereas there were fewer than 3,000 registered members in the Chinese Psychological Society by 1991 (Wang, 1993).The ratio of psychologists to the general population is higher in developed countries than in developing countries. China has fewer than 2 psychologists for every million people (Jing & Fu, 1995). A developing country has to provide for its people's basic needs–food, shelter, health–before it can afford to provide for their â⠂¬Å"higher† psychological needs. When a country is underdeveloped, the more important problems of developing industry, commerce, and agriculture receive more attention because of the need to improve basic living conditions for everyone.In China today, with its economic pressures and its huge population problem, the further development of psychology cannot be seen as a top national priority. However, the Chinese government has begun to recognize that economic progress ultimately depends on the talents of the managers and workers and now sees the value of investing in modern management selection and training (e. g. , the setting up in 1999 of the Beijing Senior Management Selection Centre; personal communication, Gu Xiang Dong, January, 1999). Because the Chinese Government employs almost all the psychologists in the country, the future of the profession depends n its support (Jing ; Fu, 1995). In practical terms, lack of funding in developing countries means that psychologists cannot afford to attend international conferences, buy expensive books and journals, or experiment with highly technical equipment. Jing and Fu noted,. As China's market-oriented reform continues, people in academic circles are adjusting their ways of making a living. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the main organizational body of scientific research in China, started its reform in the middle 1980s to satisfy the market need for applied technology. p. 721). In 1993, the CAS elected to move 70% of its staff into research related to economic development and thus more than 50,000 people began to conduct research in areas relevant to the market economy (Wang, 1995). It is also known that a further 10,000 of the original CAS staff have become businessmen or managers as a result of the expansion of private business enterprises (Jing & Fu, 1995). Budgetary difficulties are a more immediate problem for reform. In developed countries, psychology can rely on private funding.For example , the ratio of private to government funding in the United States was as high as 1 to 10 in 1990 (see Rosenzweig, 1992), whereas in China there is little private funding to which psychologists can turn. If such funding does exist, psychology is rarely on the list for support. The lack of funding for research has had an adverse impact on basic research. In an analysis of 2,274 studies between 1979 and 1988 in developmental and educational psychology involving 362,665 participants, Shi (1990) found that 48. 9% of the studies were applied research whereas only 8% were described as basic research. The rest were more or less repetitions or adaptations of previous studies or instruments. ) Psychologists in China are predominantly concerned with applied problems, and research that addresses economic and social problems. This situation was aptly described by Long (1987): â€Å"The pressing need †¦ was a technocrat in a factory, not a rat in a Skinner box† (p. 232). An applied or ientation is understandable in the light of the heavy emphasis placed on economic development. It may be expected that psychology will play an important role in the attainment of China's present goal to modernize industry, agriculture, science, and technology.The main problems for Chinese psychologists are how to help the nation accomplish these important tasks with minimal funding and lack of facilities (Jing ; Fu, 1995). The development of psychology is based on having a sufficient number of people with advanced training, and universities are the main source of training for psychologists. Bachelor degree courses in psychology are similar to those in the United States, but Chinese lecturers have far heavier teaching commitments than their Western counterparts, and they are often required to teach topics well outside their specialist areas.The lack of educational funding also limits access to leading journals and books in the field. Universities in China can afford to subscribe to o nly a few American and European journals, and most newly published English language books are not available in the library or if they are, their use may be restricted. Thus â€Å"psychological knowledge transmitted to China falls behind the times and is less sophisticated than that in the West† (Jing ; Fu, 1995, p. 725).At present, there are only six psychology departments and four psychology institutions among all the institutions of higher education, although all normal universities and teachers' colleges have psychology curricula and established psychology teaching and research groups. This provision is clearly inadequate for future needs. In addition, students often teach in the universities in which they received their degree, leading to a restricted perspective of the discipline. To a certain extent, China must depend on the developed world for the training of its psychologists (Jing & Fu, 1995).This dependence comes through the importation of foreign experts as well as the training abroad of Chinese psychologists at the postgraduate level and the subsequent brain drain, as many of the latter do not return to China. Another serious problem affecting the development of psychology is that there are no specific career paths for students who major in psychology. There is no organized postgraduate professional psychology training, and psychology graduates are often trapped in low-income jobs. Thus, uncertain career prospects have turned away many talented students.Unfortunately many students who chose psychology as a major have turned to unrelated professions on graduation. Future Perspective The field of psychology has a long road to travel before it will reach its maturity in China. Despite the difficulties mentioned here, recent developments have revealed some directions for the future. As we have seen, the development of Chinese psychology is closely linked with the social environment and with government policy, such as the influence of the family planning program and the open door policy. This link will continue and will orient most psychological research toward practical applications.Given the poor resources in research and the limited number of psychologists, the nationwide and collaborative approach will greatly facilitate research, teaching, and the practical application of psychology. Chinese psychology has attracted tremendous interest from all over the world in recent years. The reason for this sinophilia (Leung & Zhang, 1995, p. 696) â€Å"is because of the increasing importance of China world-wide, both politically and economically. † In the next few years, more emphasis will be put on the mutual communication and exchange of ideas with the rest of the world.Chinese psychology will certainly benefit from learning from Western advanced psychology. However, to interpret the mental phenomena and behavior of the Chinese people, attention must also be focused on the theoretical construction of China's ancient psyc hological heritage traced through traditional Chinese culture. It may be that this will eventually reflect Fairbank's view (1992, p. 258) when he stated, â€Å"Chinese learning for the substance the essential principles and Western learning for function the practical applications. That is, the traditional Chinese philosophical stress on the importance of understanding human nature, balanced harmony, and the â€Å"unity of multiplicity† may serve as a useful foundation for the future development of Chinese psychology, especially in applied settings. The adherence to the ancient wisdom in modern Chinese psychology will place world psychology in a broader framework and expand psychology to a more complete body of knowledge. REFERENCES Anastasi, A. (1988). Psychological testing (6th ed. ). New York: Macmillan. Barabanshchikova, V. A. , & Koltsova, V. A. (1989).Psychology in China: History and the present status. Soviet Journal of Psychology, 10, 116-124. Bond, M. H. (1996). The handbook of Chinese psychology. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. Bond, M. H. (Ed. ). (1986). The psychology of the Chinese people. New York: Oxford University Press. Brown, L. B. (1981). Psychology in contemporary China. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press. Brown, L. B. (1983). 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Relationships evolve and are continuously changing very much like our climate. The earth changes with time and so do relationships. One of the great wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, has withstood a multitude of changes for over several million years and is still evolving. The movie Grand Canyon provoked many thoughts and emotions. It is a story linking several socioeconomical relationships of families and friends who live and learn through their adversities. It is a film about social criticism; what is the purpose of life? It is about cultural criticism; what is the world coming to? The main focus here is on relationships of families and friends. The key concepts of the movie Grand Canyon are best described by levels of differentiation, boundaries, and triangulation modeled by the work of Murray Bowen, the father of family systems theory and, clinical psychologist, David Schnarch. According to the work of Murray Bowen, the father of family systems theory, differentiation of self is the degree to which a person defines the self as separate from others. It is described on a continuum that ranges from low levels of differentiation, "fusion", to high levels, â€Å"clearly defined sense of self†. It is the degree of separation or fusion between the intellectual and emotional systems of the self. A person’s level of differentiation evolves out of the family relationship system. The level of differentiation is the background against which a family and its members live. It is quite stable and varies only slightly as it is passed from generation to generation. The degree to which an adult child family member differentiates from their family of origin is the degree to which they will be able to manage the stress involved in caring for an older adult parent or relative. Differentiation means being somebody; taking a stand; knowing oneself; risking; putting it out there. Differentiation is for one person in a couple to s... Free Essays on Family Systems Theory Free Essays on Family Systems Theory Relationships evolve and are continuously changing very much like our climate. The earth changes with time and so do relationships. One of the great wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, has withstood a multitude of changes for over several million years and is still evolving. The movie Grand Canyon provoked many thoughts and emotions. It is a story linking several socioeconomical relationships of families and friends who live and learn through their adversities. It is a film about social criticism; what is the purpose of life? It is about cultural criticism; what is the world coming to? The main focus here is on relationships of families and friends. The key concepts of the movie Grand Canyon are best described by levels of differentiation, boundaries, and triangulation modeled by the work of Murray Bowen, the father of family systems theory and, clinical psychologist, David Schnarch. According to the work of Murray Bowen, the father of family systems theory, differentiation of self is the degree to which a person defines the self as separate from others. It is described on a continuum that ranges from low levels of differentiation, "fusion", to high levels, â€Å"clearly defined sense of self†. It is the degree of separation or fusion between the intellectual and emotional systems of the self. A person’s level of differentiation evolves out of the family relationship system. The level of differentiation is the background against which a family and its members live. It is quite stable and varies only slightly as it is passed from generation to generation. The degree to which an adult child family member differentiates from their family of origin is the degree to which they will be able to manage the stress involved in caring for an older adult parent or relative. Differentiation means being somebody; taking a stand; knowing oneself; risking; putting it out there. Differentiation is for one person in a couple to s...

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Origins and development of the Green Party The Green Party/Movement in the United States began with self-starting local groups in 1984, the first such group having formed in early January of that year in the state of Maine. By 1989, over 400 local groups had sprung up in most parts of the country. A Clearing House in Kansas City, Missouri fostered communication among all the local groups. The movement took the name of Green Committees of Correspondence.- recalling the organizing that took place under the name of Committees of Correspondence in the decade before the Revolutionary War. In addition to local group membership, individual national memberships were also encouraged. Over 2000 had signed on by the end of the 80s. In the beginning, local groups spent much time debating the meaning and application of Ten Key Values. These had emerged from the first national meeting in St. Paul in August, 1984. The Ten Key Values are drawn from the Four Pillars that the then West German Greens articulated, plus three sets of two values each. The Four Pillars are Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grass Roots Democracy, and Non-violence. The three sets of two each are: Respect for Diversity and Feminist Values; Decentralization and Community Economics; Global Responsibility and Sustainability (or: Thinking to the Seventh Generation). The debates over their meaning and application were often intense and sometimes harsh. One important argument reflected the on-going controversy between Social Ecology and Deep Ecology, the former led by Murray Bookchin at the Social Ecology Center in Vermont and the latter inspired by the work of Arne Naess, the Norwegian eco-philosopher. The debate was whether one had to liberate human beings first before being able to save nature; or whether the work of saving nature had to be well advanced before it would be possible to liberate human beings. It was an argument that would continue to stir in Green circles, ta... Free Essays on Green Party Of Canada Free Essays on Green Party Of Canada Origins and development of the Green Party The Green Party/Movement in the United States began with self-starting local groups in 1984, the first such group having formed in early January of that year in the state of Maine. By 1989, over 400 local groups had sprung up in most parts of the country. A Clearing House in Kansas City, Missouri fostered communication among all the local groups. The movement took the name of Green Committees of Correspondence.- recalling the organizing that took place under the name of Committees of Correspondence in the decade before the Revolutionary War. In addition to local group membership, individual national memberships were also encouraged. Over 2000 had signed on by the end of the 80s. In the beginning, local groups spent much time debating the meaning and application of Ten Key Values. These had emerged from the first national meeting in St. Paul in August, 1984. The Ten Key Values are drawn from the Four Pillars that the then West German Greens articulated, plus three sets of two values each. The Four Pillars are Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grass Roots Democracy, and Non-violence. The three sets of two each are: Respect for Diversity and Feminist Values; Decentralization and Community Economics; Global Responsibility and Sustainability (or: Thinking to the Seventh Generation). The debates over their meaning and application were often intense and sometimes harsh. One important argument reflected the on-going controversy between Social Ecology and Deep Ecology, the former led by Murray Bookchin at the Social Ecology Center in Vermont and the latter inspired by the work of Arne Naess, the Norwegian eco-philosopher. The debate was whether one had to liberate human beings first before being able to save nature; or whether the work of saving nature had to be well advanced before it would be possible to liberate human beings. It was an argument that would continue to stir in Green circles, ta...

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language Code switching (also code-switching, CS) is the practice of moving back and forth between two languages  or between two dialects or registers of the same language at one time. Code switching  occurs far more often in  conversation  than in  writing. It is also called code-mixing and style-shifting.  It is studied by linguists to examine when people do it, such as under what circumstances do bilingual speakers switch from one to another, and it is studied by sociologists to determine why people do it, such as how it relates to their belonging to a group or the surrounding context of the conversation (casual, professional, etc.) Examples and Observations Code-switching performs several functions (Zentella, 1985). First, people may use code-switching to hide fluency or memory problems in the second language (but this accounts for about only 10 percent of code switches). Second, code-switching is used to mark switching from informal situations (using native languages) to formal situations (using the second language). Third, code-switching is used to exert control, especially between parents and children. Fourth, code-switching is used to align speakers with others in specific situations (e.g., defining oneself as a member of an ethnic group). Code-switching also functions to announce specific identities, create certain meanings, and facilitate particular interpersonal relationships (Johnson, 2000, p. 184). (William B. Gudykunst, Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication, 4th ed. Sage, 2004)In a relatively small Puerto Rican neighborhood in New Jersey, some members freely used code-switching styles and extreme forms of bo rrowing both in everyday casual talk and in more formal gatherings. Other local residents were careful to speak only Spanish with a minimum of loans on formal occasions, reserving code-switching styles for informal talk. Others again spoke mainly English, using Spanish or code-switching styles only with small children or with neighbors. (John J. Gumperz and Jenny Cook-Gumperz, Introduction: Language and the Communication of Social Identity. Language and Social Identity. Cambridge University Press, 1982) African-American Vernacular English and Standard American English It is common to find references to black speakers who code switch between AAVE [African-American Vernacular English] and SAE [Standard American English] in the presence of whites or others speaking SAE. In employment interviews (Hopper WIlliams, 1973; Akinnaso Ajirotutu, 1982), formal education in a range of settings (Smitherman, 2000), legal discourse (Garner Rubin, 1986), and various other contexts, it is advantageous for blacks to have code-switching competence. For a black person who can switch from AAVE to SAE in the presence of others who are speaking SAE, code switching is a skill that holds benefits in relation to the way success is often measured in institutional and professional settings. However, there are more dimensions to code switching than the black/white patterns in institutional settings. (George B. Ray, Language and Interracial Communication in the United States: Speaking in Black and White. Peter Lang, 2009) A Fuzzy-Edged Concept The tendency to reify code switching as a unitary and clearly identifiable phenomenon has been questioned by [Penelope] Gardner-Chloros (1995: 70), who prefers to view code switching as a fuzzy-edged concept. For her, the conventional view of code switching implies that speakers make binary choices, operating in one code or the other at any given time, when in fact code switching overlaps with other kinds of bilingual mixture, and the boundaries between them are difficult to establish. Moreover, it is often impossible to categorize the two codes involved in code switching as discrete and isolatable. (Donald Winford, An Introduction to Contact Linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003) Code Switching and Language Change The role of CS, along with other symptoms of contact, in language change is still a matter of discussion. ... On the one hand, the relationship between contact and language change is now generally acknowledged: few espouse the traditional view that change follows universal, language-internal principles such as simplification, and takes place in the absence of contact with other varieties (James Milroy 1998). On the other hand, ... some researchers still downplay the role of CS in change, and contrast it with borrowing, which is seen as a form of convergence. (Penelope Gardner-Chloros, Contact and Code-Switching. The Handbook of Language Contact, ed. by Raymond Hickey. Blackwell, 2010)

History and cultural context of two significant buildings of the same Essay

History and cultural context of two significant buildings of the same typology - Essay Example Fig 1. Aerial view of the Imperial War Museum North Courtesy of www.wabbaviation.co.uk Cultural conditions The Second World War which began in 1939 and ended in 1945 had a major impact on society and the lives of people. The war saw several people from different countries die and countless others maimed. The destruction of property and infrastructure that resulted from the modern war is practically beyond description. Today, memories of the Second World War and its effects remain etched in the minds of many people who lived at the time of the conflict. Although many people living in the U.K. today never witnessed the war, they have an opportunity to see its effects by visiting the Imperial War Museum North, one of the five braches of the Imperial War Museum (David 2002). The Trafford Park area in which the Imperial War Museum North is located played host to several factories including those that produced Avro Lancaster heavy bombers and engines that were used in combat aircraft owned by the British government. The museum building is situated in an area that was a major industrial centre during World War Two (Sophie 2009). During the Manchester Blitz that occurred in 1940, the industrial centre was heavily bombarded by enemy forces. The Museum was established in the area hence to display the impacts of modern wars on society and people (David 2002). The museum contains displays of several artifacts that were used during the Second World War including a 13-pounder field gun, Russian T-34 tank, and U.S. AV-8B Harrier jet. The museum is a major attraction in London with tourists and scholars being its main customers. Given its design and the additional features that it has, many people find the place interesting. This is coupled by the fact that the museum features different media which suits various interests. Design Principles and Theories The Imperial War Museum North building takes the untraditional form of a globe that has been reassembled after being shattere d into pieces (Libeskind 2012). The building is formed by three interlocking fragments that represent water, air and earth. These three make concrete the wars that rocked the 20th century with men and women participating in the conflicts with the sea, sky, and land being the settings upon which the wars took place. Better stated, the building is formed by three shards of space that interlock to form a constellation (Libeskind 2012). The open, earthly sphere of the war is represented by the Earth Shard. On the other hand, the Water Shard is the platform upon which the Canal can be viewed. This shard also contains a cafe, restaurant, performance space and deck. Yet again, the Air Shard which leads into the museum is stringed with observatories, education spaces and projected images. Owing to financial constraints, the original design of the museum building was altered and a number of features excluded in the actual construction (Sophie 2009). The auditorium for example was removed and the exhibition content altered. The permanent exhibitions of the museum are featured in the main gallery space in the Earth Shard’s first floor. The exhibitions are displayed chronologically around the gallery that covers a perimeter of about 200 meters, and feature six thematic displays (Sophie 2009). The floor of the gallery is curved in shape and looks like the earth’s curvature from an imaginary north pole. The design of the mus

Personal Financial Analysis Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Financial Analysis Plan - Essay Example These financial areas include investment into bonds/stocks, purchasing a real estate, insurance coverage as well as income generating activities. My ultimate aim is to create a portfolio of such assets so that a consistent cash flow is being delivered to me throughout my retirement life. Out of the $100,000/- I would allocate $100,000 to purchase 30 years bonds of a large corporation which can provide return equivalent to the return of 5% to 7% whereas $100,000/- of existing financial resources are going to be invested into the purchase of stocks of a blue-chip company having a history of providing consistent stream of dividends. I also intend to buy a small piece of real estate at the total investment of $250,000 whereas I also intend to purchase an insurance cover which not only pay for my medical expenses but guarantee a consistent annuity amount over the period of retirement life. A bond is a long term security which provides a constant/variable rate of return called coupon over the period of its life besides returning back the investment made into it. Bonds are considered as less risky than the stocks as they guarantee a consistent fixed income over the period of investment and offer priority rights to the bondholders in case of liquidation. They are considered as best financial securities for planning retirement. (Investopedia, 2008). Stocks on the other hand are the shares in a company's equity and holders are given the status of shareholder in the business. They are more risky than bonds because return on them is not variable but also subject to fluctuations into the financial position of the company. Further, from a retirement planning point of view this can be more risky as it is not necessary and obligatory for the company to pay dividends to their shareholders. (Investopedia, 2008). Investing into real estate is now considered as one of the most lucrative form of investment as it not only appreciate in value but also provide a consistent stream of rental income over the contractual period. Insurance covers especially life insurance provide you an opportunity to protect your family in case of your death and after the retirement can also guarantee you a consistent stream of income out of the insurance premium you have accrued over the period of time. (About.com, 2008). Conclusion Preparing for after retirement period is one of the most critical issue in one's life as when approach that phase of your life where you may not be able to work as good as you were able to do in your youth. It is therefore of critical importance that personal financial planning for the future should be strong enough to ensure that all your financial needs are fulfilled. Investing into various real as well as financial assets is an excellent way through which one can plan to achieve a good mix of assets guaranteeing the overall achievement of financial goals of a person. My personal financial

Indias Participation in Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Indias Participation in Global Economy - Essay Example The Indian society is now subject to western imperialism and quite a distinct reflection of the western culture, styles, and language and business activity. The economic environment of India, after the reforms has predominantly changed from socialist policies to more liberal policies, facilitating an expansion of international trade. Some cultural values are very strongly established amongst the Indian workforce and may deter further expansion of international trade but Indian culture is one of business orientation because of its historical significance and industrial background and thus strongly supports trade activity. Yet there remain some economic challenges that may deter further growth of the economy. These include an inadequate infrastructure to support a growth rate of 8%. With so much international pressures to quality conformance and timely production, India must invest in up gradation of its ports, rail networks, roads, and power and water supplies. Hence, in order for Ind ia to capitalise on its economic benefits, it must overcome these economic challenges and increase its international market presence by developing indigenous brands and thus expanding international trade. 1.Problem Identification and Analysis With the highest population in the world of about 1.1 billion, second largest to China, India has made its way amongst the world’s leading economies in the year 2007. ... ccording to the World Bank Report, its economic growth rate was 8%, close to 10.4% of China, despite the high dependence of its economy on the agricultural sector (World Bank 2004). Recently the economy has moved towards massive production orientation in the manufacturing sector and there has been an observable proliferation of information technology and telecommunications. It is the augmentation within this sector, the software companies and call centres that have fuelled the economic growth in India. India has developed the right infrastructure to facilitate this rapid economic growth through development of an educated, English speaking workforce and thus has become a hub for outsourcing for large multinationals and overseas services to US companies (Banik 2007). Many companies like Ford Motors, General Motors and software companies have subcontracted their business services including customer service support, business support and troubleshooting computers, to this sector of Asia. Moreover, the country also has some skilled personnel to conduct customer surveys and research that provides the foundation for its international trade. Many companies are considering outsourcing their most expensive marketing process that is research, to the low cost researchers in India (Suresh 1999). The main reason that has fuelled this structural change is the emergence of a class characterised with young business professionals. It is also the culture of the country that promotes diligence, struggle and goal orientation (Kumar and Agarwal, Liberalization, Outward Orientation and In-house R&D activities of multinationals and local firms 2000). Therefore, the impact of globalization has been tremendous on Indian economy. With more and more companies looking to outsource in attempt to

Reflection Journal Part-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection Journal Part-3 - Essay Example Similarly, environmental issues, cutting edge technology, standards of practice, policies, procedures and auditable areas for the Joint Commission come under discussion at meetings of APICE. Another key aspect of APICE meetings is information sharing and deliberation on policies and processes. Typical attendees at APICE meetings are people in administrative positions such as nurse educators, infection disease nurses, Directors of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Managers, Public Health Nurses and the like. The main contention behind APICE is the prevention of and awareness regarding infectious diseases inside hospitals. Each meeting of the APICE invites a speaker to share informative information regarding disease prevention. For the July session of the APICE that I attended, the speaker was Michelle DeVires, BS, MPH, ICC and she spoke about â€Å"Peripheral IV’s: Overlook source of Infection†. Ms. DeVires was very inspiring because she was not only a public health nurse but her specialty was infection prevention. I was surprised that I could really comprehend some of the information that she was sharing with the group. She touched on a little statistics when she talked about population mean, and the frequency, standard deviation, bell curve, the probability of the p-value and many other statistical data forms. Although I thought that I would be lost, but I actually understood some of information that she was presenting. Ms. DeVires went on to discuss intervention and prevention as processes and she spoke about how hospitals needs to discontinue any IV’s that are not being utilized. Anytime an IV is in place and is not being used, it has a tendency to set up an infection. It was revealed that most infections took root when the E.R. department starts an IV. The fast paced work demands of the E.R. meant that nurses or doctors were not cleaning or using sterile techniques to clean the site

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This results effective staffing decisions and processes which leads to better performance of the employees. The overall purpose of developing HR policies is to ensure that organization is efficiently able to achieve short term as well as long term goals through its employees rather than technology advancement. Many organizations believe that concentrating on the development of technology is more beneficial for the productivity of the organization rather to concentrate on the effective employee management. But effective use of technology is more important than adopting the same and it needs recruitment and selection of efficient people for the organization (Armstrong, 2006, p.9). Management of human capital is done through five different stages. Human resource policies is effectively designed so that implementation of the policies in these five stages of human management can be efficiently to better performance of the employees as well as for the better productivity of the organizatio n. These stages are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. Planning is the first stage of human capital management and it develop the organizational structure and find valuable sources from where the organization can get efficient people through a cost effective process of recruitment (Barney & Wright, 1997, p.4). Effective design and application of policies in HR planning, recruitment and selections and their contributions towards effective staffing decisions and organizational effectiveness and decisions making- Critical Evaluation HR planning and systems can have a wide variety of implications in organizations and organizational effectiveness. In the modern society planning and efficiency accounts for some of the prerequisites for organizational effectiveness and performance. In fact all of the HR activities in an organization depend largely on HR planning which subsequently reflects through organizational performance and productivity. Researchers have provided with data and information with regards to the correlation between recruitment and selection procedure and candidates’ competence in organizations which leads to greater creative works, greater collaboration of activities and performance progress in the organization. Research scholars have out forth the fact that through the application of appropriate HR planning systems organizations can effectively influence the actions and contributions of employees and generate their social capital as the potential source of competitive advantage (Mossholder, Richardson & Settoon, 2011, p.34). However, HR systems have largely been restricted to their connections with organizational outcomes and not with individual level behaviors. That is why researchers have increasingly called for the need for understanding HR planning and its influence on employees, inter-relationships between them and performance (Mossholder, Richardson & Settoon, 2011, p.34). Researchers have specifically focused on t he role of HR planning on a firm’s competitive advantage. According to the views of Barney (1995), three basic resources can provide competitive advan

Develop a Vision, Mission, Philosophy, and Program Evaluation (2) Coursework

Develop a Vision, Mission, Philosophy, and Program Evaluation (2) - Coursework Example This paper proposes the vision, mission, philosophy and program evaluation of a developmentally-appropriate early childhood education program for children aged 2-6 years with the objective of developing confident, independent, creative and competent children, with the collaboration of their parents and families. The proposed early childhood education program shall offer a high quality early childhood education program that provides young learners with developmentally-appropriate activities to develop their knowledge and skills. With a strong home-school partnership, the program aims to cultivate confidence, independence, confidence and creativity in young children so they grow to be ready to succeed in a globally competitive world. There were several considerations in coming up with this vision for an early childhood education program. The first consideration is the nature of the child and how he learns. Lilian Katz (2003) recommends looking into children’s perspectives and natural processes of learning. Questions such as: â€Å"What are the concepts and skills they need to learn relative to their life stages?†; â€Å"What kind of environment would they thrive best?†; â€Å"How do they learn best?† should be reflected upon in planning the program. These are deemed most important instead of just complying with what adults around them believe about what is best for them. The program should be designed to engage young children in learning in ways that are natural to them so that it will enable them to maximize their abilities to gain competence and independence. It is offered in a nurturing environment that encourages children’s confidence and creativity. The early childhood education center or preschool upholds high standards for the quality of care and education of its learners, aged 2-6 years. It provides them with abundant opportunities for learning with a balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated experiences. The

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This results effective staffing decisions and processes which leads to better performance of the employees. The overall purpose of developing HR policies is to ensure that organization is efficiently able to achieve short term as well as long term goals through its employees rather than technology advancement. Many organizations believe that concentrating on the development of technology is more beneficial for the productivity of the organization rather to concentrate on the effective employee management. But effective use of technology is more important than adopting the same and it needs recruitment and selection of efficient people for the organization (Armstrong, 2006, p.9). Management of human capital is done through five different stages. Human resource policies is effectively designed so that implementation of the policies in these five stages of human management can be efficiently to better performance of the employees as well as for the better productivity of the organizatio n. These stages are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. Planning is the first stage of human capital management and it develop the organizational structure and find valuable sources from where the organization can get efficient people through a cost effective process of recruitment (Barney & Wright, 1997, p.4). Effective design and application of policies in HR planning, recruitment and selections and their contributions towards effective staffing decisions and organizational effectiveness and decisions making- Critical Evaluation HR planning and systems can have a wide variety of implications in organizations and organizational effectiveness. In the modern society planning and efficiency accounts for some of the prerequisites for organizational effectiveness and performance. In fact all of the HR activities in an organization depend largely on HR planning which subsequently reflects through organizational performance and productivity. Researchers have provided with data and information with regards to the correlation between recruitment and selection procedure and candidates’ competence in organizations which leads to greater creative works, greater collaboration of activities and performance progress in the organization. Research scholars have out forth the fact that through the application of appropriate HR planning systems organizations can effectively influence the actions and contributions of employees and generate their social capital as the potential source of competitive advantage (Mossholder, Richardson & Settoon, 2011, p.34). However, HR systems have largely been restricted to their connections with organizational outcomes and not with individual level behaviors. That is why researchers have increasingly called for the need for understanding HR planning and its influence on employees, inter-relationships between them and performance (Mossholder, Richardson & Settoon, 2011, p.34). Researchers have specifically focused on t he role of HR planning on a firm’s competitive advantage. According to the views of Barney (1995), three basic resources can provide competitive advan