A Condition Previously Known As Mental Retardation Education Essay

IntroductionIntellectual disablement ( ID ) , a status antecedently known as mental deceleration, is defined as a disablement characterized by important restrictions both in rational operation and in adaptative behaviour as expressed in conceptual, societal, and practical adaptive accomplishments and that the footing for the disablement has been present prior to age 18 ( AAIDD, 2002 ) . This status affects about 1 % of population ( Bello, Goharpey, Crewther & A ; Crewther, 2008 ) , and has historically been defined as an intelligence quotient ( IQ ) mark of less than 70 ( Schalock & A ; Luckasson, 2004 ) . In recent decennaries, the definition of ID has been revised, which now includes both a step of rational operation and an indicant of persons ‘ adaptative behaviour in their environment. Intelligence refers to individual ‘s overall mental ability or his/her capacity to ground, program, work out jobs, comprehend complex thoughts, and learn ( AAIDD, 2010 ) . The appraisal of rational operation is typically achieved through disposal of intelligence quotient ( IQ ) trial. Most IQ trials are structured in the manner that a mark of 100 is considered mean, with a standard divergence of 15 ( Hourcade, 2002 ) . In agreement to American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ( AAIDD ) guideline, an rational degree that is considered to be within the scope of rational disablement if it is two or more standard divergences ( SDs ) below the mean ( AAIDD, 2002 ) . In other word, a degree of 70 IQ points or lower will be the cut-off point for ID when utilizing an IQ trial with a mean of 100 and a standard divergence ( SD ) of 15, which account for the lowest hiting 2 % of the normal population ( Flynn, 2000 ) . Adaptive behaviour refers to the aggregations of conceptual, societal, and practical accomplishments that people learn and perform in their mundane lives ( AAIDD, 2002 ) . Similar to the appraisal of rational operation, adaptative behaviour are assessed with instruments which requires detecting the person in state of affairss where these accomplishments are required, or questioning those who know the single well ( Hourcade, 2002 ) . In AAIDD web site, important restrictions in adaptative behaviour are operationally defined as public presentation that is at least two standard divergences below the mean of either ( a ) one of the undermentioned three types of adaptative behaviour: conceptual, societal, or practical, or ( B ) an overall mark on a standardised step of conceptual, societal, and practical accomplishments. In general, persons with ID possess some common features. Typically, persons with ID will larn and develop more easy than a typical individual because of their cognitive restrictions. More frequently, they present with specific it cognitive shortages such as damage in memory, attending, or comprehension of linguistic communication, which frequently result in their lupus erythematosus efficient larning abilities ( Hourcade, 2002 ; Van der Molen, Van Luit, Jongmans, & A ; Van der Molen, 2007 ) . To certain extend, their slower processing, restricted memory or attending can besides associate to their lack in ego control and ordinance, ensuing in feelings that they are more inactive or disengaged from activity ( Linn, Goodman, & A ; Lender, 2000 ) or and more distractible or unprompted than others ( Goodman & A ; Linn, 2003 ) . Therefore, persons with ID frequently require different signifiers and grade of support in the procedure of larning and development.Identification/Diagnosis of ID The standards used for designation and diagnosing of ID have evolved from a long manner. Schalock and Luckasson ( 2004 ) sum up four attacks that have been used to place individuals with ID historically. In the early twenty-four hours, ID was ab initio identifies non establishing on rigorous standards, but on persons ‘ inability to accommodate to their societal environments. The rise of medical theoretical account nevertheless has changed the attack of placing ID. In term, the base of designation was shifted to the individual ‘s symptoms complex and clinical syndromes, with the focal point on the functions of physical causes and heredity. Later, with the rise of psychometric trials, the standard for designation and diagnosing of ID was once more shifted to individual ‘s rational operation. In term, steps obtained from IQ trials are used as ways to specify and sort persons with ID and their badness of ID. The concluding displacement in the standard was to an attack they named as ‘dual-criterion ‘ , where both cognitive operation and adaptative behaviours were included as standards of specifying ID. The dual-criterion attack was foremost introduced by AAIDD ( was so named as AAMR American Association on Mental Retardation ) in 1956 and has been adopted by other diagnostic systems such as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health ( ICF ; World Health Organization ( WHO ) , 2001 ) , the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed. , text rpm ( DSM-IV-TR ; American Psychiatric Association, 2000 ) , and the other clinical guidelines used for prevailing definitions of rational disablements such as the International Classification of Diseases, and Related Health Problems 10th alteration ( ICD-10 ; WHO, 1992 ) ( Schalock & A ; Luckasson, 2004 ) . The current dual-criterion attack of the categorization system besides present a paradigm displacement in the research and instruction pattern, where rational disablement is no longer be viewed as person-centered shortage, i.e. , feature of the persons. Rather, rational disablement is contextually determined and with appropriate supports, life operation of persons with rational disablement may better ( Schalock & A ; Luckasson, 2004 ) . With that, the current AAIDD categorization system emphasizes the importance of contextual support and intercession to turn toing restrictions in the countries of rational and adaptative operation. The AAIDD categorization system is one of the most widely used diagnostic systems in the field of research and instruction designation ( Schalock & A ; Luckasson, 2004 ) . The working definition of ID proposed by AAIDD composes of three key constituents which are besides normally acknowledged by DSM IV-TR and ICF ; 1 ) an IQ mark of less than 70 ; 2 ) an important shortage in adaptative map and 3 ) the oncoming of disablement prior to 18 old ages of age. Within this system, the three required steps for a diagnosing of ID include an IQ trials, adaptative behaviour graduated tables, and documented age of oncoming.Designation of ID in clinical scenesThe term designation here refers to the procedure of appraisal and diagnosing which a formal diagnosing of ID can be arrived if standards are met. As mentioned above, internationally, clinical definitions of ID are normally based on established psychiatric diagnostic systems such as ICD-10, ICF and DSM-IV-TR. As noted by Salvador-Carulla and Bertelli ( 2008 ) , there is small variableness in the standards of the different psychiatric diagnostic systems. Besides turn toing on the age oncoming of the disablement, all these systems portion a common attack, Internet Explorer, the appraisal of the individual should be taken as a whole within the context of the individual ‘s rational capacities and adaptative operation in his environment. Nevertheless, minor differences are still present within some standard among the different diagnostic systems ( Salvador-Carulla & A ; Bertelli, 2008 ) . For case, the cut-off point of the IQ degree ( AAMR: 70-75 ; DSM-IV-TR: 70 ; ICD-10: 69 ) that classify persons as holding marginal rational disablement varies among the three major diagnostic systems. Furthermore, the definition of adaptative accomplishments differs among these systems ( Colmar, Maxwell & A ; Miller, 2006 ) .Designation of ID in educational scenesThe designation of pupils with rational disablement within educational puting evolves parallelly with the alterations in the clinical diagnostic systems of this disablement ( Smith, 1997 ) . Internationally, this revised definition of ID by AAIDD has influenced the development of new categorization system in educational scene. In term, the categorization of ID has moved from a simplistic IQ-based categorization system to a more holistic attack, where a three-step attack is normally accepted as the criterion of categorization ID and explicating support. Ee, Tan and Lim ( 2004 ) sum up the stairss as follow ; 1 ) a formal appraisal of IQ and adaptative map ; 2 ) an analysis of persons in the four dimensions of rational operation and adaptative accomplishments, psychosocial and emotional consideration, physical wellness and etiology, and environmental consideration ; 3 ) depict the profile and strengths of support needed based on the profile. Although the above mentioned system has been acknowledged as a new subject for designation of ID in instruction system, there are still fluctuations in the accent and procedure of placing ID in educational scenes among states. Colmer, Maxwell and Miller ( 2006 ) remark that phenomena such as over-emphasis on IQ mark and concentrating on disablement are still prevailing in educational scenes where cognitive ability is frequently perceived as the base of person ‘s attainment. In Singapore, the guideline for designation of ID is mostly consistent with the diagnostic system of World Health Organization ( WHO ) ( NCSS, 2003 ) , where a formal appraisal of adaptative operation and IQ are necessary when finding the degree of restriction and support needed, with a prevailing inclination to adhere to the traditional categorization system, where the degree of disablement is associated with IQ tonss ( Ee, Tan & A ; Lim, 2004 ) .Educational Placement of pupils with IDThe arrangement of pup ils with ID can be classified into three chief scenes ; viz. mainstream school, particular schools and exterior of the instruction system, i.e. , drop-outs ( Snell, Luckasson, Borthwick-Duffy & A ; et Al, 2009 ) . Snell, Luckasson, Borthwick-Duffy and et Al, ( 2009 ) describe the national tendencies of arrangement for pupils with ID in the USA. Although inclusion pattern has been advocated in the last decennary of twentieth century in the USA, there are still about 50 % of pupils who are diagnosed with ID receive their instructions in separate scene such as particular schools. In add-on, a important proportion of pupils with ID leave school earlier. Cited in Snell, Luckasson, Borthwick-Duffy and et Al, ( 2009 ) , Polloway et Al. ( 2009 ) reported that in the USA, 28.6 % of pupils with rational disablements drop out form schools during the 2002-2003 school twelvemonth. Overall, the per centum of pupils with ID who are to the full included in mainstream schools is still comparatively low, accounted about 11 % in the USA ( Snell, Luckasson, Borthwick-Duffy & A ; et Al, 2009 ) . In Singapore, kids with ID are placed in both particular and mainstream schools, depending on their abilities and demands. Typically, Children with profound disablements and require extended support are enrolled in particular schools, and kids with milder disablements can be found in all degrees of educational systems ( Lim & A ; Nam, 2000 ) . The procedure of appraisal and designation of ID in educational scene is frequently motivated and guided by a primary end of enabling a sound educational arrangement. Traditionally, kids with rational disablements are normally enrolled in particular instruction schools ( MacMillan & A ; Forness, 1998 ) . With the rise of inclusion motion, the educational arrangement of kids with ID varies among states. In Singapore, kids with rational disablements, including those at mild degree are by and large enrolled in particular schools, in which most of them continue and complete their instructions within the particular instruction system ( Ee, Tan & A ; Lim, 2004 ) . Whilst in states such as the USA, where inclusion pattern has started for more than a decennary, more pupils with ID are analyzing in mainstream schools. Based on estimated prevalence rates, it is suspected a ample figure of kids with ID are enrolled in mainstream school ( Ee, Tan & A ; lim, 2004 )Screening of IDIt is recognized that planning and intercession for individualised support for persons with ID are indispensable in the current epoch. In order to program and measure the effectual and rightness of the support service, valid showing and preliminary designation are necessary to ease a formal referral and appraisal, therefore support and intercession. Nevertheless, in contrast to the considerable understanding among professional pedagogues and clinicians as to which guidelines and processs to follow in naming rational disablement, there is no consensus on the formal processs to test ID ( MacMillan & A ; Forness, 1998 ) . As cited in MacMillan and Forness ( 1998 ) , in the USA, most of the pupils with ID are foremost screened and referred by their instructors for formal designation of ID by mental wellness professionals. Similarl y, in Singapore, no formal processs are available when come into the showing of ID. The informal showings of pupils with possible rational disablements are normally done by school instructors. In fact, the procedure of referral for a formal appraisal and diagnosing frequently starts with instructor ‘s observation on pupils ‘ clear and consistent underachievement in their academic work ( Ee, Tan & A ; Lim, 2004 ) . In other word, due to missing of formal guidelines for testing procedure, instructors ‘ cognition and judgement on the pupils ‘ abilities play important functions in the referral and designation procedure. Teachers played a cardinal function in the designation of pupils with particular educational demands and in specifying the degree of support ( LOS ) they required for each pupil ( McKinnon & A ; Cordon, 1998 ) The grounds are described as follow ; foremost, since instructors normally refer pupils after they realize that pupils ‘ public presentations are significantly below the norm. The ‘norm ‘ , i.e. , mean public presentation of the pupil ‘s immediate equals becomes the benchmark for instructors to do determinations for referral. In term, a underachieving pupils will be more likely referred for formal appraisal if he is in a category or school with high-achieving equals, and otherwise less likely to be referred if all his schoolmates are low-achieving. Second, the instructors ‘ relevant cognition on ID and particular demands is besides important in the procedure of testing without a formal showing tool ( MacMillan & A ; Forness, 1998 ) . In such instance, who get referred varies from schoolroom to classroom as some instructors may hold higher tolerance working with academic-weak pupils, and others may hold small capableness in covering with those with troubl e to maintain up with school course of study. The ‘teachers factors ‘ in the procedure of testing for ID and particular demands are even evidenced in X school, where most of pupils are academic under-achievers, with co morbid behavioural and emotional troubles. A determination for referral is frequently less distinct when there are multiple jobs are naming for attending. Therefore, a standardised showing tool may supply a common metric for instructors to establish on when placing pupils necessitating formal appraisal and particular demands. In line with current diagnostic system, a testing tool with focal point on both cognitive ability and adaptative behaviours is necessary when come to a determination for support and arrangement.InclusionThe term inclusion here refers to a pattern that pupils with disablements are integrated into general instruction schoolrooms ( Quah, 2004 ) . In inclusive instruction, persons with disablements study full-time in general instruction schoolrooms. However, necessary supports may be given during their procedure of survey in general instruction schoolrooms ( Quah, 2004 ) . Since the late twentieth century, inclusive instruction has become an international tendency and docket ( Ainscow, Booth & A ; Dyson, 2006 ) . Policies and statute law have been passed in many parts of the universe to advance inclusion in instruction ( Booth, 1999 ; Bricker, 2000 ; Harris & A ; Stephenson, 2003 ; Ainscow, Booth & A ; Dyson, 2006 ) . In response to the displacement in statute law in particular instruction, ( grounds ofmore inclusion of ID in other states ) Inclusion of Down ‘s syndrome in mainstream school is widely accepted in England after more than 20 old ages of inclusion run ( Booth, 1996 ) . Snell, et Al ( 2009 ) more ID pupils are included in regular schools However, non in Singapore, As pointed out by Lim and Nam ( 2000 ) , in Singapore, a double instruction system providing to pupils with and without disablements is still runing. ( Due to miss of preparation for instructors ) Movement towards incorporating pupils with disablements, particularly those with moderate to terrible degree of disablements into regular schools remains slow. Teachers still refer their pupils with ID to particular schools Integrated instruction is an earlier version and refers to giving excess support to pupils with particular demands who are take parting in the mainstream course of study without major restructuring of content or bringing ( Booth, 1996 ) . . However, the tendency of inclusion has besides been accepted by society and school forces. Programs and services have been put frontward to ease the inclusion of pupils with physical disablements and autism ( Lim & A ; Nam, 2000 ) . ( Add more from LIM and NAM ) Although inclusive instruction is accepted as an international tendency for persons with disablements, surveies have revealed assorted consequences of benefits and jobs. Harmonizing to Wong ( 2002 ) , research surveies on inclusive instruction by and large suggest an betterment in societal accomplishments and community integrating after arrangement in mainstream school. Whilst, there are besides concerns that inclusion was damaging to run intoing the demands of some pupils if the adaptation of course of study is non tally with their cognitive abilities. In his survey on parents ‘ perceptual experience on inclusion pattern in Hong Kong, Wong ( 2002 ) studies that pupils with disablements face enormous trouble in run intoing academic demands in school, which impose obstructions for their effectual acquisition. ( ? Benefit related to Severity of ID or degree of support needed )Multi-cultural issues in showing and designationThere is ever concern that cultural minorities are falsel y identified as being rational disable. In order to turn to this concern, MacMillon et Al, ( 1996, as cited in MacMillon and Forness, ( 1998 ) ) investigate the presence of systemic differences among referred Caucasian, Hispanic and African American pupils in California. Their findings suggested that the Verbal and Performance IQ of Caucasic pupils are higher than African American pupils, taking to a plausible decision that schools are unwilling to mistake in mentioning minority pupils.History of instruction for kids with ID in SingaporeLack of preparation on particular instruction among instructors

Psychosis Portrayed in the Media

Impact of Media’s Portrayal of Psychotic Illness on Viewers Introduction Psychotic disorders are the more serious form of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia. Many multidimensional factors have contributed to the social stigma of psychotic mental illness, deeming it a social problem. According to Landsberg and Rock (2010), stigma and discrimination impacts policy and program response to the issue, causing limitations on our financing. As a result, there is a deficiency of resources provided by macro and micro level systems for individuals battling with the illness despite a recent shift in society’s perception. Programs such as National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the Recovery Movement have been trying to increase public understanding of the illness, advocate for government resources, and emphasize supportive networks such as family, friends, and mental health providers (Hertz, 2010). Unfortunately, the complexity of this illness and lack of thorough understanding continues to reinforce and sustain the stigma. Additionally, individuals discharged into the community from institutions have not been well supported by micro-level services. As a result, many commit crimes and end up in jail. Landsberg and Rock (2010) found that many seriously mentally ill patients are in nursing homes, homeless shelters, and jails because of unmet needs. Community mental health centers have more patients than staff can handle (Hertz, 2010). In spite of various attempts, the mental health system is comprised of programs that â€Å"don’t work†, leaving many seriously ill individuals without proper care (Landsberg and Rock, 2010, pg. 258). These wide ranges of factors contribute to viewing serious mental illness as a social problem that is stigmatized as well. In terms of social stigma, there are several misconceptions. Hertz (2010) found that the public misperceives people with psychotic illness as homicidal. The truth of research indicates that these individuals are more frequently victims of crime perpetrated by others, or, tragically, by their own hands (Hertz, 2010). Unfortunately, the daunting ways in which symptoms may manifest prevent people from establishing any positive associations with such illness. The media portrays psychotic disorders through different perspectives, ultimately sending mixed messages to audiences about the nature and prospects of the illness. Landsberg and Rock (2010) stated that movies often picture the mentally ill as violent, negatively affecting our society’s willingness to enact needed changes and fund programs. The movies A Beautiful Mind, K-PAX, and The Soloist each portray a character living with a psychotic disorder, particularly Schizophrenia, who also demonstrates strength and resilience in their struggles. The intent of this paper is to discuss characteristics of psychotic illness, critically analyze these movies and their message to audiences, and assess accuracy within their portrayals. Brief History of Mental Illness as a Social Problem There are conflicting ideologies in terms of how to approach serious mental illness in the United States. While some adopt a â€Å"survival of the fittest† perspective and believe affected individuals shouldn’t receive assistance, others act as committed advocates for programs to service them. When looking at the recent history of mental health, several attempts at revolutionizing systems were made, and always seem to only partially work. As a result, more systems that partially work were created. The 1950’s through the 1970’s emphasized inpatient hospitalization for psychotic patients without much chance for their self-determination and self-empowerment. Solutions were very problem-focused, and patients received their treatment of insulin shock therapy. Socially, there seemed to be more emphasis on regarding anyone with a psychotic illness as â€Å"crazy†, and therefore someone to stay away from. The deinstitutionalization movement in the 1970’s and the creation of managed care was an attempt to steer away from â€Å"putting people away†. As a result, many hospitals were shut down. The problem with this system was the lack of funds allocated towards community-based services. Now that the patient’s length of stay at hospitals significantly decreased, patients have been discharged into the streets, and left to their own devices. While many have been receiving adequate services, many are not receiving proper care and result in committing crimes, engaging in other illegal activity, becoming homeless, or just functioning on a very low level. Hertz (2010) stated that the waiting lists for residual programs for the chronically mentally ill are months, if not years long. This implies the staggering amount of people not receiving proper aftercare. A true solution is yet to be discovered. Background on Psychotic Disorders with an Emphasis on Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is currently affecting nearly 2. 5 million people living in the United States, and 29 million people worldwide (Hertz, 2010). The typical beginning of this illness is during adolescence or early adulthood. Hertz (2010) reported that the onset can be gradual, starting with odd beliefs and mannerisms, while other onsets are acute with a sudden psychotic break. These research findings imply the complexity in how symptoms manifest, and pose a challenge for practitioners to pinpoint and potentially diagnosis. There exists a social misconception regarding psychotic disorders. Psychotic symptoms may appear in disorders other than Schizophrenia, and the presence of psychotic symptoms doesn’t necessarily indicate diagnosis of Schizophrenia. Hertz (2010) stated that withdrawal from reality marks psychosis, containing two major symptoms: delusions and hallucinations. Schizophrenia is particularly characterized as a thought disorder which builds on these symptoms to include impaired cognitive functioning such as â€Å"loose associations of ideas/thoughts and disturbance of affect† (Hertz, 2010, p. 285). There are several types of schizophrenia, and is defined by positive and negative symptoms which indicate the existence or deficiency of functioning. Hepworth, Rooney, and Larsen (2010) found that positive symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and catatonic behavior. According to Hepworth, Rooney, and Larsen (2010), negative symptoms include flattened affect, restricted speech, and limited initiation of goal-directed behavior. The causes of psychotic disorders are ultimately unknown, and many different theories emphasize different contributing factors. According to Hertz (2010), genetics, heredity, and neuro chemistry determine varying degrees of predisposition to developing psychosis. This research finding implies that environmental and social stressors play a role as well. A Beautiful Mind John Nash is the main character in A Beautiful Mind who is predominantly battling with the paranoid subtype of schizophrenia. The movie follows the life of mathematician John Nash who is responsible for creating several ingenious theories such as game theory still used in economics today. He attended Ivy League Princeton University in the 1940’s after which he became a calculus professor at MIT five years later. Falling in love with one of his students, Mr. John Nash started a family and continued working on theories and concepts as a product of his mastermind. Gradually throughout the course of Mr. Nash’s academic and intellectual achievements, the movie directed attention to the display and effect of his psychotic illness. Several aspects of Mr. Nash’s psychotic symptoms were portrayed through different characters and plot points. His college roommate Charles, Charles’s niece Marcee, and Department of Defense agent William Parcher were three characters that were eventually revealed as part of his visual and auditory hallucinations. Agent Parcher also marked Mr. Nash’s delusional thinking when he invited him to crack a special code of their enemy at the Pentagon. Throughout the movie, viewers periodically see Mr. Nash involved with Parcher in various assignments that appeared prestigious and extremely intellectual. In the beginning of the movie, Charles’s character was designed for audiences to believe he was real, given the strong and realistic friendship that transpired between him and Mr. Nash. However, as the years went by and Marcee stayed the same age, Mr. Nash realized she was a figment of his imagination. Mr. Nash’s delusions have put his family in danger on numerous occasions. He nearly allowed his son to drown while bathing him, and accidentally knocked his wife Alicia over when agent Parcher told him to kill her. After Alicia had enough of his behavior, she called the psychiatric hospital where he was admitted to receive insulin shock therapy, a common treatment for psychosis in the 1950’s. After agreeing to take anti-psychotic medications, Mr. Nash was released from the hospital. Unfortunately, he ended up stockpiling the medication without aking them, resulting in relapse of his psychotic symptoms. Lesser and Pope (2010) stated that psychotropic medications are effective in ceasing or reducing psychotic symptoms but often have unpleasant side effects. Mr. Nash’s detrimental side effects included reduction in intellectual abilities, and impairments to his relationship with his wife. Ultimately, Mr. Nash has learned to manage his symptoms and live with his illn ess. The message this movie hopefully sends out to viewers is that serious mental illness can affect bright and well educated people, and that recovery is possible. Moreover, the movie encourages viewers to realize that even individuals with serious mental illness can excel in certain areas of life, if not reaching levels of genius. While the media, as previously stated, typically portrays individuals with mental illness as violent antagonists, Mr. Nash is portrayed as a protagonist despite his mild violence during psychotic episodes. Viewers likely feel compassion for him and want to see him win his battles. The movie accurately portrayed environmental stressors that may cause unpredictable emotional breakdowns. Mr. Nash’s character was portrayed as getting frustrated and angry when he thought he couldn’t fulfill the duties agent Parcher has assigned him. He was worried that the Russians are after him, and felt pressure to crack the code that never existed. Moreover, when he was admitted to the hospital, he perceived doctors to be Russian spies, a reasonable portrayal of paranoid schizophrenia. Luckily, Mr. Nash trained himself to transcend his symptoms by acknowledging, followed by ignoring, their existence. While it has been stated that the real John Nash only experienced auditory hallucinations, A Beautiful Mind seemed to incorporate visual hallucinations for entertainment purposes, inaccurately portraying and exaggerating Mr. Nash’s illness. However, accuracy was shown through the many psychotic breakdowns Mr. Nash experienced, demonstrating emotional and physical breakdowns. Although he put his wife and child in danger on numerous occasions, Alicia served as his main support system. Hertz (2010) stated that supportive networks are a critical variable in determining the quality of life of people with Schizophrenia. In fact, it is arguable that in this movie, Mr. Nash demonstrated more resilience and strength than is realistically common in the United States for people with psychotic illness. Not everyone has access to the kind of support he did given his prestigious status as a mathematician. Additionally, he had the support of his loving wife who never abandoned him and seemed to be the main source of his resilience. K-PAX Prot is the main character in K-PAX who demonstrates delusional thinking as part of his psychosis. As previously discussed, he didn’t necessarily have Schizophrenia. Prot was admitted to the hospital after claiming to be an alien from a planet called K-PAX. As psychiatrist Mark Powell begins to treat Prot, he learns of his excelling intellect in the subject of astronomy. Stunned by this wisdom, Mark introduced Prot to some astro-physicists who were puzzled by his recollection of traveling from a different planet by a means of light travel. Prot and Mike’s relationship grew stronger with each treatment session, and Prot revealed his knowledge of life on planet K-PAX. Prot also had a positive influence on other patients in the hospital who believed he was from a different planet. Prot began to display erratic emotional breakdowns that were indicative of his psychosis. He had an episode during some of his sessions with Mark, as well as in front of Mike’s family when he was invited over for dinner. Prot began to repeatedly mention that he is going back to planet K-PAX on July 27th. Mark started to make connections between what triggers lead to Prot’s hysteria. Additionally, he used regressive hypnosis to discover the significance of the date July 27th, suspecting he suffered from significant loss. He learned that Prot has attempted suicide after his family was killed on July 27th. When that date finally came, Prot was found catatonic, and the ending of the movie was open to interpretation. This movie sends several messages to viewers. One of them includes the strong impact trauma may have on individuals. Prot attempted suicide without success after his family was killed, marking the onset of his delusions. Hertz (2010) found that suicide attempts are a common and often overlooked occurrence within psychotic symptoms, and often occur during the first psychotic episode when the individual feels bewildered and out of control. His feelings of bewilderment were likely caused by seeing his family get killed, a realistic reaction to such a tragic occurrence. K-PAX hopefully teaches audiences to realize that many of the severely mentally ill individuals could have experienced significant loss in their lives that was out of their control, leading to their illness. There was nothing substantial provided in the beginning of the movie which aroused sympathy for Prot’s character. It is arguable that audiences could have perceived all his discussions about travelling from another planet as him â€Å"joking† around with authorities. He wore black sunglasses, and seriously spoke about life on another planet. However, as the movie showed several emotional breakdowns, it was evident that he has experienced significant psychological trauma of loss. Hertz (2010) stated that psychotic symptoms are often triggered by a significant loss, and environmental stressors can trigger neuro chemical events in the brain. The movie accurately portrayed the concept of surrounding triggers. For instance, Prot was reminded of the tragedy when the sprinklers came on at Mike’s house, causing flashbacks of his trauma. Assessing accuracy of his intense reaction is difficult, for, each individual reacts to triggers to varying degrees. His particular reaction involved crying and an appearance of deep sadness. The Soloist Nathaniel Ayres is the main character in The Soloist who is portrayed to struggle with Paranoid Schizophrenia as his psychotic disorder. The movie follows the life of Anthony Ayres, a man who became homeless as a result of his illness. Journalist Steve Lopez was desperately seeking material for a story to meet a deadline. One day he heard someone playing the cello so beautifully that he felt compelled to follow the music. As a result, he met a homeless man named Nathaniel who claimed to have attended Julliard for his musical talents. Steve tested his word by calling the school, only to find out that Nathaniel has indeed attended Julliard, but has dropped out after his second year. Steve ended up writing his story on Nathaniel. As their friendship progressed, Steve became more interested in Nathaniel’s safety, and wanted him to receive treatment. Flashbacks to the onset of Nathaniel’s Schizophrenia were portrayed to answer Steve’s questions as to why he is no longer in Julliard and living in a shelter. In response to the published story, readers responded with sympathy, and one woman even sent Nathaniel a Cello. Eventually, Steve convinced Nathaniel to perform in front of an audience which triggered his auditory hallucinations. The end of the movie displayed Nathaniel continuing to struggle with his illness, but no longer living in a shelter, marking progress. His friendship with Steve and his music seem to help manage his symptoms, according to psychiatrists Steve has consulted with. In addition to serious mental illness, The Soloist portrays another social problem that is stigmatized: homelessness. Hertz (2010) estimated that 60% of people with schizophrenia live in poverty, and 1 in 20 ends up homeless. The movie portrays Nathaniel as someone who has been exposed to treatments such as medications and shock therapy, and doesn’t want anything to do with them. It seemed as though he felt he belonged in a shelter as opposed to an apartment where his symptoms emerge. The message of this film is for audiences to realize that homeless people aren’t necessarily â€Å"lazy†, or â€Å"can’t get a job†. Conversely, they may have suffered from symptoms which inevitably led to that lifestyle. Through flashbacks, Nathaniel was portrayed as a productive and gifted member of society who attended a prestigious musical institution, and tried to start his young adult life living in an apartment. Unfortunately, he was overpowered by his auditory hallucinations, making him paranoid and scared. Hopefully audiences will reorient their mentality and not disregard homeless individuals as those that haven’t worked hard enough to attain a job and a place to live. Some of them have truly been overpowered by persistent mental illness. In terms of accuracy, The Soloist fairly portrayed the possible impact of stressors in the environment that trigger psychotic episodes. For Nathaniel, the pressure of performing well in front of an audience triggered â€Å"voices† which led him to run away. Additionally, unless an individual is medicated, it is rare for psychotic symptoms to not emerge. In the movie, Nathaniel was not receiving treatment at the time he became friends with Steve, and it was shown through his inability to have coherent conversations with him. Furthermore, he was unable to hold on to an apartment, and even felt comforted by the city street noises. His physical appearance was also unkempt and very colorful, reasonably displaying what someone with this disorder could potentially look like. Comparisons and Contrasts between Films There are several similarities and differences in the way media portrayed these characters suffering from serious mental illness. While the etiology, symptoms, and course of their disorders slightly differed, they all share a strong support system which provided them self-determination and potential for growth, similar to the goals of the Recovery Movement. Hertz (2010) stated that the presence of someone who believes in their recovery increase recovery rates. Mr. John Nash had the privilege of a supportive wife. Realistically, it may be an exception that an affected individual is a coveted professor with a family by his side assisting his struggles. Prot developed a relationship with his Psychiatrist. It is rare, if not unethical, for a patient’s psychiatrist to invite them into their home and introduce them to family members. More importantly, it seems rare for a psychiatrist to invest so much emotional effort into one particular case, especially one that is middle aged and has been in the practice for so long. Nathaniel formed a strong friendship with journalist Steve Lopez. Most severely mentally ill homeless individuals are not â€Å"discovered† by someone who decides to believe in them; most, as previously discussed, are underserved and not receiving proper treatment and care. While the storylines were touching and enlightening, they are very rare. These situations seem to be an exception rather than the rule, making the character portrayals inaccurate in terms of exaggerating the levels of support. Another important similarity accurately portraying psychotic disorders is the fact that there is no known cure. None of the characters were â€Å"cured† by the end of the movie, but rather found their own ways of coping with symptoms. The ultimate message was moderately accurate when showing psychotic mental illness; every single case should be viewed individually despite the one set of guidelines for diagnosis provided in the DSM-IV. Research has been clear about one thing: psychotic disorders remain etiologically perplexing and challenging to treat (Hertz, 2010). As a result, it is fairly easy for media to â€Å"play around† with psychotic illness through characters, since there is ultimately no absolute truth to reference, and thereby deem â€Å"inaccurate†. Since symptoms are a product of the person’s psyche, there seem to be no limits as to how creative psychotic symptoms and reactions may become. Interestingly, all three characters in the films are men. Research found that more men than women are given the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (Hertz, 2010). Also, each movie emphasizes a different aspect of psychotic illness. A Beautiful Mind focuses on illness affecting a genius mind; K-PAX signifies the impact of a traumatic loss, and The Soloist show how symptoms can lead to homelessness. Conclusion According to Lesser and Pope (2010), psychiatry critic Thomas Szasz believed that the diagnosis of psychiatric illnesses was socially constructed, vary culture to culture, and is society’s way of labeling individuals when their behavior breaks social rules. Nonetheless, the use of the DSM system prevails in the United States, and many individuals â€Å"labeled† under its guidelines are in need of services, reinforcing mental illness as a social problem. The deinstitutionalization movement in the 1970’s as an attempt to serve the severely mentally ill has created a new array of social problems given the lack of funding anticipated for these goals. Hertz (2010) presented that the sickest people in our society are â€Å"lost in the cracks† as they are discharged from institutions to poor and inadequate aftercare. The media provides several portrayals of serious mental illness. The three movies chosen for discussion (A Beautiful Mind, K-PAX, and The Soloist) ultimately portray the strength and resilience possible even for the most seriously mentally ill individuals, when provided with emotional and social resources. Implicitly, hope is not lost, and Hertz (2010) proposed a solution to make a shift in our priorities: making a commitment to even the most disturbed members of our society. As demonstrated in the three films, two of which were based on real life people and events, individuals with even the most serious of mental illness can show strength and resilience. References Berzoff, J. , Melano Flanagan, L. , & Hertz, P. (2008). Chapter 13: The psychoses, with a special emphasis on schizophrenia (pp. 281-310). Inside out and outside in: Psychodynamic clinical theory and psychopathology in contemporary multicultural contexts (2nd ed. ). New York: Jason Aronson. Hepworth, D. , Rooney, R. & Larsen, J. 2010). Chapter 9: Assessment: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Environmental Factors. (pp. 199-226). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (8th ed. ). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Landsberg, G. , & Rock, M. (2010). Chapter 9: Mental Health. Social policy and social work: The context of social work practice. New York, NY: Pearson. Lesser, J. G. , & Pope, D. S. (2010). Chapter 17: Chronic illness and disability. (pp. 437-464). Human Behavior in the Social En vironment: Theory and Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Report Writing: Style and Structure

Report Writing: Style and Structure Summary Writing a report can seem daunting at first, but with a solid understanding of the fundamental structure and style used in constructing clear and concise reports, it can be achieved. The standard report format is as follows: Title, Summary, Introduction, Body, Conclusions, Recommendations, Appendix, References and Table of Contents. We will first look at how to prepare a report before the writing begins. Learning objectives At the end of the session, students will be able to: †¢ Write with a specific purpose and audience in mind †¢ Structure sentences, paragraphs and reports Write clearly and concisely Purpose and audience Before writing a report you should first identify some key factors, which will help you plan your approach and write with clarity. The first question you should ask yourself is, â€Å"what is the purpose of the report? † Purpose â€Å"What is it about, and what is it for? † It is beneficial to esta blish the purpose of your report before you start writing, so that you can think clearly on the subject, and produce a report styled to fit the needs of your purpose. Recognize what your report is for, (informing, instructing, guiding) and focus your writing on explaining the details.If for example, you want to write an instructional report for a team of colleagues, you know that you must focus your writing on providing clear concise instructions, which will allow your reader to comprehend the processes that you are describing. Audience â€Å"Who are you writing for? † The second question you should ask yourself is, â€Å"who is going to read this report and why? † Knowing your audience will help you determine how long your report should be, how it should be presented, and what level of terminology you should use to best attract and maintain the interest of your reader.If for example, you are writing a report to inform policy makers, you would want to focus on presenti ng your evidence clearly and concisely. We will now try an exercise on identifying audience and purpose: Exercise one Malaria Prevention You are a Health worker at the Ministry Of Health and have been asked to write a report on Malaria. You have access to the figures on Malaria incidents in the Country over the last five years, as well as access to the latest info on drugs and other barriers to prevent Malaria. 1. Describe the purpose of your report, and identify your audience.The sentence Now that we know how to identify our audience and define a purpose, we will look at how to write clearly and succinctly. Understanding how to structure a sentence is essential to conveying meaning clearly. Following are a few rules of thumb to help avoid ambiguous sentences: †¢ Keep it short and to the point. Many people have trouble with run-on sentences, creating ambiguity by attaching many ideas together with large combinations of commas, semicolons and dashes. Complete one thought and clo se out your sentence with end punctuation. †¢ Words for words sake.Avoid extraneous words, and parentheses that do not add to your point. †¢ Don’t leave it hanging. Sentence fragments can be just as confusing as run-on sentences. Make sure that you have completed your sentence and that it makes sense, before closing it out. For a comprehensive explanation of the inner workings of sentences and grammar, you can visit the links below. Sentence help: http://www2. actden. com/writ_den/tips/sentence/index. htm Grammar help: http://www. speakspeak. com/html/d10_english_grammar. htm We will now look over some common errors that can convolute sentences and obscure meaning.Sentence Fragment â€Å"Mark has finished his work on time. Since he started planning ahead. † The second sentence is a fragment here, because it does not contain enough information to complete a thought. Most sentence fragments are phrases that belong to the previous thought. To correct the problem in this instance, we simply remove the period. Correct â€Å"Mark has finished his work on time since he started planning ahead. † Run-on sentence â€Å"Jane loves Tom he is a good friend. † A run-on sentence occurs when you have two complete sentences that are not separated by correct punctuation.In this case we can correct it with a comma and a linking word, or by using a period. Correct â€Å"Jane loves Tom, because he is a good friend. † â€Å"Jane loves Tom. He is a good friend. † Exercise 2 Correct the following sentence fragments and run-on sentences. We will play Cricket tomorrow. If it doesn’t rain. In our survey we contacted 212 members of government 110 members of government responded. In order to obtain funding. You have to write clear concise reports. Michael loves to write reports he is talented at it and his wife’s name is Shelly. Structuring Sentences, Paragraphs and Reports Tell them what you’re going to tell them, t ell them, and then tell them what you told them. † The diagram below is an excellent example on how to write clearly and logically. We will now look at each part of this â€Å"map† and then see how the pieces come together. [pic] Introduction Introductory paragraph The introduction should explain the general ideas to come, as well as your thesis statement, which tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the report. The rest of the report should gather evidence and organize a case around your thesis statement. Topic sentencesA topic sentence is like a mini introduction to the body of your paragraph. Your topic sentence should explain what the body of the paragraph will cover, (just like your introduction explains what to expect in the report). It is a good idea to â€Å"map† out your report, by first writing topic sentences for each of the different paragraphs or sections of your report. 2. Body Support sentences Support sentences are the body of paragraphs . This is the section of your report that serves to provide evidence and examples that reinforce your thesis statement. Support sentences are also used to clearly explain and underpin main ideas. . Conclusion Concluding sentences The concluding sentence is used to reiterate the main points developed by the support sentences, and signal the end of a paragraph. They are also useful for adding emphasis to certain key points, through repetition. We will now look at how to create the different parts of a report outside of the general writing, which are: Title, Summary, Recommendations, Appendix, References, and Table of Contents. Title The title is your first contact with the reader, and should inform them succinctly about what they are about to read. SummaryThe purpose of a summary is to provide an overview of the report. It is not necessary to give detailed information in the summary, but rather to provide an indication of the type of information that the report contains. Average summa ries are between 100-150 words, and are generally written after the report has been completed, so that you know exactly what you are summarizing. Recommendations Recommendations are not an essential part of a report; however, if you are including one, it should follow from your conclusion. A brief statement clearly declaring your recommendations will suffice.Appendix An appendix contains materials that are peripheral, but relevant to your report. For example you may wish to include a glossary of terms in your appendix if you are writing a technical report for those who are not experts on the subject. You may also include copies of research tools such as questionnaires and manuals, as well as tables and diagrams that you feel would disrupt the flow of your report by breaking it up. If your appendix does contain tables, diagrams etc. , make sure to label them properly, so that the can easily be found when referenced.References If you have consulted or quoted any media sources, (print or otherwise) to help you compile your report, they must be acknowledged here, as well as in the text. Citing your resources not only avoids running into plagiarism issues, but strengthens your work by backing up your report with evidence from the work of others. If you are quoting directly from someone else, the quote must be followed by the author’s surname and date of publication in round brackets, e. g. Calvino (1983). A standard bibliography is an alphabetized list ordered by Author’s surnames.For a book you must include: the author’s surname and full name, or initials; the full title of the book; the edition (if other than the first); the place of publication; the publisher, and the date of publication, e. g. Calvino, Italo. Palomar. Torino: S. P. A. , 1983. For a complete guide to correct citation, visit: http://www. liu. edu/cwis/CWP/library/workshop/citmla. htm Table of Contents A table of contents is a page containing numbers that correspond to differe nt parts of your report, allowing readers to jump between sections quickly.Number and title the different portions of your report, (such as â€Å"1. 2 Medical advancements in treating Malaria† â€Å"1. 3 Government funding for treating Malaria† â€Å"2. 1 References† etc. ) and then create a corresponding list of contents that lists the page number as well as the reference number, which should be sequential, starting from the summary. A good starting point for mapping out your table of contents is to do it corresponding to your topic sentences. Below is an example of a â€Å"mapped† checklist that puts all of the steps we have learned together followed by a table of contents.It is a good guidance tool to use when preparing to write a report. The â€Å"mapped† checklist is modeled on the Malaria prevention exercise we completed earlier. â€Å"Mapped† Checklist for Malaria Prevention 1. Who is it for? Health workers in district offices. 2. Wha t is it about? Malaria prevention – success stories over the last five years. 3. Title Let’s Win the Battle Against Malaria 4. Summary This report attempts to examine the benefits and drawbacks between different methods of combating malaria in Southern Africa, including rate of success, time, cost, and other socio-economic factors. 5. IntroductionExploring the methods for evaluating available options for combating malaria, and the relative successes of different options over the past five years. 6. Topic sentences 1. Insecticide treated nets have been proven to protect people from malaria, by both preventing physical contact, and killing the mosquito. 2. Community based work projects to reduce mosquito breeding grounds have been successful. 3. Indoor residual spraying remains one of the most widely used methods of vector control. 4. All of the discussed methods for the prevention of malaria work to some degree, but is it more beneficial to take a proactive or reactive stance? . What is the most successful and cost effective way to combat malaria, and how can we implement these measures? 6. With community work and adequate resources, malaria could be greatly reduced over the next decade. 7. Conclusion Having examined the different malaria prevention methods, and weighing their pros and cons, there are many possible solutions. 8. Recommendations 9. Appendix 10. References Table of Contents for Malaria Prevention ContentsPage no Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 2.Prevention methods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 2. 1 Insecticide treated nets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 2. 2 Community based work projects†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 2. 3 Indoor residual spraying†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 3. Success and Cost†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 3. 1 Proactive and reactive approaches†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 3. 2 Striking a medium between cost and success†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 3. 3 Future success†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 4. Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 5. Recommendaions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 6. Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 0 7. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Exercise 3 Bringing it all together Now that you have an understanding of the content and structure of a report, it is time to put that knowledge to use. 1. Using one of the reports that we read last session, map out the topic sentences, then construct a table of contents. Tips for writing a report †¢ Write in plain English †¢ Select an appropriate title †¢ Use your spell checker †¢ Start writing †¢ Use your Report Map †¢ Sleep on it †¢ You don’t need to start at the beginning †¢ Be engaging †¢ Use language the will be comprehensible by your intended audience

Modern Management Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Modern Management Techniques - Essay Example Site managers oversee either a whole sight or part of the many sights for larger schemes or they might be responsible for part of the project. Before the commencement of the project, the site management personnel are required to organize all the necessary facilities, prepare the sight, plan the work to be done and install the temporary work bases for workers (Johansen and Wilson, 2006). Most of the site managers are involved in the running of the project before the site development activities commence. Prior to the commencement of the project, the site managers are responsible for bridging communications between all the parties involved in the running of the project. They are required to enhance proper time management and ensure that all activities adhere to the set timescale once the project commences. They are required to be sufficiently flexible and able to manage any problems or delays that may be faced in the course of the project construction. Ranns and Ranns, (2005) assert tha t construction managers should also possess efficient skills to enable them to set the right priorities for the job and employ the necessary measures required for planning for safe construction. They are also required to preside over the communication roles with the external stakeholders. Role of Site Management Johansen and Wilson (2006) assert that despite the recent Government initiatives and the increasing expectations of the society, the theoretical roles of a site manager remain the same. They suggest that satisfying the high expectations of the society requires the managers to enforce the required strategies necessary for converting the theoretical measures into practice (Johansen and Wilson, 2006: 1309). Some of the responsibilities include ordering of new construction materials, ensuring that the site has the adequate workforce to complete the assigned task in time and preparation of reports and status updates for other senior managers. The site manager is also tasked with maintaining the safety of the workforce through ensuring that all the safety measures are adhered to and all the accidents or incidents endangering personnel life are reported to the necessary authorities for action. The manager should apply his or her competencies and expertise in the built environment to understand when changes to the original plans are required or the necessity of the projected completion dates. According to Hartley (2006), all these responsibilities cannot be ardently achieved if the manager is not present on the site; implying that site manager should personally scrutinize and delegate all the daily operations of a site. However, Griffiths (2004) posits that the recent technology has changed the management process whereby the manager can scrutinize the daily operation of a construction site online.  

Procter and Gamble research report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Procter and Gamble research report - Term Paper Example The company management has responded to investors worry on costly structure and slow top line growth rate by through a cost saving plan worth $10 billion. This is expected to reduce the headcount that will enable the company achieve its earning per share growth rate forecast to 8% and 10% in free up funds that can be reinvested. Third quarter results shows that the organic sales have increased by 3% from its previous quarter but the operating profit decreased by 11%. The management of the company lowered the earning per share to $3.82-$3.88 from the previous earning of $3.93-$4.08 as a result of the lowering operating profit. This means that Procter and Gambler 2012 fiscal year earning per share is expected to remain flat as compared to previous fiscal EPS of $3.87. The company gross margin has decreased by 150 bases to 49% on higher inputs and negative sales while it has increased by 32.9% on restructuring charges and overhead costs. The firm is supposed to restructure if it expects to gain full potential in its future growth. This is to be achieved by mean of calibrating its pricing by either adopting initial price or by promotion. Also, the company should invest more in the developing markets where it remains under penetrating where all other firms in packaged goods are moving. Business summary Procter & Gamble Company has famous line up of packaged brands which are sold and distributed through three global business units in over 180 countries world wide. The company brands include Tide laundry detergent, Pantene shampoo, Cover Girl cosmetics and lams pet food which means the company trades in household and personal products industry. The company is rated as an AAA credit worth company by Morningstar credit rating agency in the consumer product industry. The company strength and sustainability compared to other industry player has being rated wide by Morningstar which means its competitive advantage remains high. The competitors of the company are L’Oreal SA, Reckitt Benckiser Group and Kimberly-Clark Corporation which have market capitalization of $72,309, $47720, $42799 and $30972 millions respectively compared to Procter $ Gamble CO. market capitalization of $176134 millions. This shows that Procter & Gamble Company is more capitalized than its closest rival compa nies. Also, the sales revenue of its competitors are $26745.83, $15196.91 and $20,846 respectively compared to Procter $ Gamble sales revenue of $85374. Total sales revenue in the industry from the above sales revenues amounts to $148162.74. Procter & Gamble Co. thus, it contributes 57.62% of the total sales revenue. From the above findings, Procter $ Gamble Company stands as the most valued company compared to its competitors. Historical performance of the company shows that the performance of the company has being on a decline path from year 2009 to date. Financial forecasting of the company is that the share value is to be raised from the current price of $72 to $75 if the $10 billion saving plan is implemented together with Pringles divesture. This implies that in 2013, ratios of

Finance analysis of Whitbread Financial Ratios Assignment

Finance analysis of Whitbread Financial Ratios - Assignment Example Ratio analysis is one of the methods used to carry out a company financial analysis to determine the performance of the company in question in relation to other companies in the industry in which such a company operates and also in relation to its own operations over time. The past performance of the company as shown by the ratio analysis as well as other methods that can be used in the company financial analysis can be used as an indicator of the company’s future performance in terms of the company’s liquidity, profitability, working capital management, asset management, efficiency of the company’s management, cash management as well as investor valuation ratios in order to help in planning and assessment of the company’s strategies as well as for use by investors to make a decision on whether to invest in the company or not.... evaluate the company’s performance against one of its competitors which is called Restaurants Group Plc and finally offer a recommendation on the company’s performance over the two year period between year 2010 and year 2011 and also in relation to the competitor Restaurants Group Plc. Description of the industry The United Kingdom Restaurant industry has been very vibrant over the last three years despite the recession that greatly affected the global markets within the period between year 2008 and year 2010 and the debt crisis in the Euro Zone in year 2011. Based on Oxford Writers, restaurants are a very vital part of the culture of the people of the United Kingdom (Oxford Writers 2012). The industry is comprised of hotel operators, restaurants, pubs and pub restaurants among other services that go hand in hand with the food business. The industry is mostly affected by the seasonal food business due to the fact that the agricultural produce in most of the agricultural areas in the United Kingdom is seasonal in nature. In addition to this, the guests in these restaurants are also seasonal. For instance more people eat out during summer that during winter therefore indicating that hotel business will boom in summer and decline in winter. On the other hand, holidays such as Christmas, Easter etc also increase the number of customers in restaurants therefore increasing profitability. As at 27th April 2012, Whitbread Plc was the largest company in the restaurants industry by market capitalization with a market capitalization of ?3.39 billion followed by Greene King Plc with a market capitalization of ?1.1 billion, followed by Mitchells & Butlers Plc with a market capitalization of ?1.08 billion, followed by Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland Plc with a market

Restraints and seclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restraints and seclusion - Essay Example aises the concern if restrained re-traumatizes the sick at their most vulnerable, if seclusion damages the alliance of therapeutic and if that is the case if it can undergo justification. Studies from Massachusetts consider the vulnerable to be mostly affected by seclusion. The vulnerable consist of those with past sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical trail, developmentally disabled, physically trail, and sensory impaired patients. Therefore, seclusion can easily lead to re-traumatization to the above named group of individual. LaFond, R. (2007, September). Reducing Seclusion and Restraint for Improved Patient and Staff Safety. In a https://www.crisisprevention.com., 2 (4), 12 Retrieved July 9, 2013, from https://www.crisi prevention .com/CPI/media /Media/Resources/research/Lafond-from-07-JSM-JOU-002. Pdf This article â€Å"Reducing seclusion and restraint for improved patient and staff safety† by Randall Lafond talks about the benefits of avoiding seclusion and restraints for patients. The author states that there should be legal law which reduces seclusion and restraint among patients. The article explains the way in which health care services disregard the importance of the reduction of seclusion and restraints. He states that staff must be trained to encourage the practice of reducing seclusion and restraint among patients. As per LaFond, â€Å"In the baseline year of 2002, 83 episodes of seclusion and restraint were documented. The total documented time was 220:03 minutes against 1606 admissions and a total of 16,054 patient days†. He asserts that for the safety of psychiatric patients the reduction of seclusion and restraints is important. Master, K. (2004). Can narrative therapy decrease the use of seclusion and restraint, 2 (4), 34. Retrieved July 8, 2013, from http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/M ember Resources/Practice_Information/SR_Articles/Can_Narrative_Therapy_Decrease_th e_Use_of_Seclusion_and_Restraint.aspx This article by Kim Masters states whether

Civic Humanism and the Sidewalk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civic Humanism and the Sidewalk - Essay Example However, the two terms when related to â€Å"The Sidewalk† seem to crash in their connotations. Implications concluded in this article comprise the argument of the two terms that draw their basis from human interactions in society. This is evident from the way people behave while on a sidewalk, they seem to collide but are still heading to their destinations (Wiens 120). The author’s study was in the street where he observed the behavior of the people prior to embarking on meticulous analysis (Wiens 120). His observation was that sidewalk promotes and aids pedestrian movement, thus, this being the author’s main argument. He states that pedestrianism esteems highly public space, but not in the manner of aesthetic or enhancing democracy for citizens. Since its main concern is to ensure adequate array of people plus objects, hence, giving the sidewalks the effectiveness it requires. Blomley also states that pedestrianism may work effectively below the political radar and scholastic environment. In addition, pedestrianism is more evident in the urban setting where the streets may be of private owners but its essence still holds. This is despite the case where a political space might be in a park or any other venue far from the street but still in the urban setting (Blomley

Telecommuting and the mobile worker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Telecommuting and the mobile worker - Essay Example Regarding shifts, since telecommuters work from homes or nearby telework centres, those only available during non-conventional hours still have the flexibility to maintain their lifestyles and work their shifts too (Ellison, 2004). During disasters or when employees cannot access the central workplace, it is helpful if the firm has a separately located data bank, back-up servers and disaster recovery plans that allow employees access from any other location upon appropriate authorisation. Four advantages of telecommuting to the IT manager are reduced needs and costs associated with relocating equipment; fewer interruptions; higher capability to acquire talent; and reduced software license costs for personal devices (Hill et al, 2002). Since employees are free to work from locations of their convenience, they will find their own ways of mobility and hooking up to the infrastructure. This leads to fewer interruptions that arise when employees have to be moved to different areas of the office and having to be set up afresh. Since employees do not have to be in the same geographical region as the headquarters, appropriate talent can be sought from anywhere and contribute to the firm’s productivity. Finally, employees will often be responsible for upgrading their personal devices to keep up with technology and continue having access to their working information and stay connected. The disadvantages include the initial sourcing of appropriate technology; security threats; challenges in actively and continuously connecting employees; and efficient tracking of employees. Acquiring and implementing the technology to support telecommuting seamlessly is a burden to the IT budget. Then, since the IT manager has no foolproof way of controlling who shares remote devices with employees and accesses confidential information from them, security may be compromised. Further, since employees are only concerned with getting their

Chinese and American Zombies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese and American Zombies - Essay Example The way people turn into Chinese or American zombies has certain similarities and differences. When it comes to American zombies, they were created by Voodoo spells. Thus, voodoo priests (through spells) could make the person their slave. Importantly, the concept of slavery has been very strong for Americans and it is the core of the idea of zombies. Another way of turning into a zombie is to be bitten by one. As far as Chinese zombies are concerned, they are created when a person commits a suicide, they are victims of premature burial or they were killed and want to revenge. The major feature of the concept of the Chinese zombie is their desire to â€Å"absorb life essence†. The difference between the two types of monsters is that American zombies eat flesh whereas Chinese zombies absorb souls of people. Major features of zombies also differ in the two cultures. Thus, American zombies walk slowly, they are almost deprived of the ability to think and they only strive to satisf y their hunger for human flesh. Their bodies often deteriorate or even disintegrate. As for Chinese zombies, they can look at living people if they turned into zombies shortly after their death or they can look like horrific monsters if they were dead for a while before becoming undead. Besides, these creatures’ hair and nails keep growing and they hop with their mouths wide open always ready to grasp a person’ soul (Bai 109). Chinese zombies hop and as the name suggests (stiff bodies) they do not move their limbs.

Whole life paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Whole life paper - Essay Example My strengths include being hardworking and daring, and these factors have impacted my understanding and translation of the passion that I possess. Moreover, my goal-driven ambitions and optimism has made my values and engineering experiences outstanding and unique than those of other people. The major boost in my career is the knowledge and expertise that I have gained in tackling with the challenges of electronic and electricity as an engineer in a careful manner. Besides all the other expertise and knowledge, I have acquired various other skills that are useful and required by the career or jobs that an individual may choose. Few of many such skills include the good communication skills and teamwork skills which have proven to be vital for the performance of any job. Moreover, my strong abilities to perform in my own field and deal with challenges have made me successful at tackling numerous tasks. My dream career, and the one that suits my passion and fits my abilities and capabilities, is Electrical Engineering. Since, I possess sufficient energy and vibrancy to work as an electrical engineer, I have attempted to pursue for various academic programs and institutions which offer them to the seekers. The undergraduate programs, postgraduate programs, diplomas, and other certifications will be helpful in turning my passion into my career. I would opt for the degree programs in the capacity of Electrical Engineering. These would include underg raduate and postgraduate programs which would equip me with a thorough foundation in essential mathematical and scientific knowledge, and in abilities and skills that are suitable for preparation in the field. These courses include the interdisciplinary subjects which are placed carefully in order to facilitate the students with the required extent of the program. Then, the advanced technical courses can also be

Resembling peace Essay Example for Free

Resembling peace Essay In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad the author condemns the colonization of the Europeans on the African islands of Congo, eminently focusing on the barbarous and inhumane treatment of the natives. In this passage though, the central character Marlow narrates to the other men on his ship about his perspective of the experience he had when he went up the river Congo passing through the wild jungle in order to reach the inner station. The tone throughout the passage suggests a negative connotation of the wilderness of Congo because of the choice of words Marlow uses to describe the jungle. Phrases such as unrestful and the noisy world of plants portraits the jungle as being quite sinister instead of peaceful and quiet as the readers would expect it to be. This passage is a composition of similes, allegory, symbolism, dark and light contrast and hyperbole which Marlow uses abundantly to describe his journey. Marlow compares going up the river as being like traveling back to the earliest beginning of the world. (1) He uses a simile to describe the jungle as being how the world was earlier before the technology and civilization was born, when the world was pure as it was when it was created by nature. But then he continues the remark by saying when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. Marlow paints this picture as the wilderness having the ability to fight against each other and when there was power between the trees. He uses the word king to describe the variation of power between the trees much like how the Europeans were being superior by trying to civilize the natives through brutal means. Marlow adds to the description of the jungle as having a great silence. (2) The phrase silence is inserted in his description to give a contrast of whats happening inside the jungle. Inside the jungle, in the inner station, it has been said that Kurtz uses unconventional methods to obtain the ivory he makes. This suggests that Kurtz is probably using violence or manipulations which are contrasts of silence. More ever, as Marlows journey proceeds further and further into the jungle and closer to the inner station, Marlows streamer gets attacked by the natives. Moments before they are being attacked, Marlow describes to have heard voices crying wildly coming from the jungle. The diction silence not only is a contrast of what is happening inside the jungle, it is also a contrast of a future scene where they are being attacked. Marlow further describes the river as being facile to get lost in as you would in a desert. This phrase shows that Marlow is confused as to his purpose in this voyage, why he wanted to come on this journey and what he was expecting to find. This phrase also indicates that Marlow perceives the river to be mysterious and that is one of the qualities of the river that urge him to continue his journey because of his curiousness. Later in the passage, Marlow indicates that the river as this stillness of life which did not in the least resemble peace. (9) This description of the river as not resembling peace connects directly to the journey that Marlow has been traveling in. Ever since Marlow decided to come on this voyage, he has been uncertain as to whom he really is and what he wants to do or what need to be done. Marlow has strong opinions about the Europeans as being fools, devils, and folly, for not knowing what they are doing. Not for being racists or discrimination of the natives as they are being tied up and worked to death. Marlow considers him self as being not especially tender towards the Africans which contradicts to what he has been saying all along through out the novel as Africans as not being our enemies. This passage describes the wildness and the sinister appeal of the river and the wilderness which is a comparison to the mind of Marlow. Inside his head, Marlow is confused, unrestful, and not in the least resembling peace. This journey takes Marlow to the places he has never been before in order to find himself inside.

Philosophy of Nursing: Reflection

Philosophy of Nursing: Reflection A philosophy is a statement of belief about something. Humans, their health, and the environment in which they live and function are phenomena of particular interest to nursing. Learning to reflect critically on ones practice requires considerable effort. It is also essential to being an excellent practitioner. Being able to think about and to explain your beliefs about the basic concepts of your practice provides the framework for your practice. Do remember that what you write today is not written in stone. As you learn new information and expand your professional practice your thoughts and beliefs about these phenomena may very well change. View this assignment as an opportunity to articulate your thoughts about these four concepts. My Belief is Good pain control and community health services help rebuild a person after surgery You need to include the following items: 1. An introduction to the paper that includes a brief overview of the paradigm. 2. A statement and explanation of your beliefs in relation to each of the four concepts included in the paradigm of nursing (humans, health, nursing, environment). While there is no minimum requirement for the length of each `statement and explanation,` many fall into the range of three (3) to five (5) paragraphs for each component of the paradigm. Some questions you may want to ask and answer for yourself are: What is the essence of human? What is health? Illness? Wellness? How are they related? What is the reason for nursings existence? How do I facilitate a clients movement toward health? These are just suggestions. You are NOT required to respond to the questions listed in this paragraph. As you consider your explanation of how you have reached this belief, i.e. `This I believe about . . . because. . .`, you may want to review some of the information from previous NRSE 300 modules. The Paradigm Online Writing Assistant has guidelines about writing a Thesis/Support Essay. This can help you in the construction of the paper. You need to document your explanation with material from the textbook, from the videos, from your practice, and from at least two sources that are not listed in your class materials. 3. Choose one of the nurse theorists you viewed. Compare your beliefs to those expressed or implied by the Jean Watson. How similar are your beliefs? What differences exist? 4. The final section of the paper is to be a statement of your philosophy of nursing. It may help to go to the Ohio School of Nursing website and read the Philosophy of the School of Nursing. It will give you a sense of one style of writing a philosophy. The philosophy is a distillation of the thinking you did to write your beliefs and explanations. It usually takes the form of one to three sentences about each of the components with linking comments about how they relate to each other to form your personal philosophy of nursing. 5. Paper will be typed. Double-space the body of the paper. Use APA format for headings and references. Make sure that your name is on each page of the paper. Use the running head style as explained in the APA Manual. Proofread the paper. Do NOT rely solely on spell check. It will not tell you when you wrote `of` when you intended to write `or.` There is no specified length for this paper. They usually run between 3 and 6 pages of double-space Introduction Nursing refers to a contact or a bond that exists between two or more persons in which one of the two persons provide professional care to the other in addition to providing advice with an aim of improving the health of the other individual an preventing illness. Philosophy of nursing may refer to beliefs that different individuals have towards nursing. Humans refer to the primates in the family of hominids. They have a brain which is highly expanded enabling them to solve problems through reasoning, control of emotions, use of language and introspection. Humans are always craving to understand the world around them and influence the natural occurrences. Health refers to a state of well being where there is no sickness and reflects the social, physical, spiritual and mental fitness of an individual. Good health may be brought about by a balanced diet, exercise and rest. Nursing refers to a science in which the person involved aims at ensuring a good health for individuals, families and communities. In general, the science of nursing aims at upholding the quality of life. Environment is defined as the extensive information on issues, programs and policies affecting our surrounding. It refers to anything internal or external that may create some impact in the life of an individual including all the living and non living organisms that exist on the earth. Humans A good pain control after surgery when accompanied by appropriate community health services enables an individual to rebuild him or herself. It is however the responsibility of every person to ensure that the nurse or the doctor knows about him or herself before the pain control is administered on him or her. This the patient could do by enabling the doctor to know about his or her drug addiction either the past or present. Surgery of the stomach is a very painful one and the drug history of a person may affect the persons tolerance to the pain or response to the pain relievers. The pain control in patients also depends on the age of the patient as well the conditions of health of the individual before the surgery. Controlling pain after surgery is a very essential step in the life of a patient as it helps the individual to gain the best results on functionality. This is appropriate because the pain after surgery increases the functionality of the patient. Patients who before the surgery were on pain medication do require an administration of extended pain medication. Otherwise the patient may require shorter acting pain medications for the control of pain. Nursing The belief that good pain control and community health services help rebuild a person after surgery relates to nursing in the sense that nurses have been found to be mediums through which terminal care at home can be improved. Pain control is one of the components of quality terminal care in the community. Patients who have undergone surgery should be given enough advice by the nurses on where to get help if necessary. In addition to this they should be given appropriate analgesics to carry home which should be accompanied by sufficient instructions on their usage. Nevertheless, patients should be given both verbal and written information about pain so that and how pain can be reduced. The nursing staff should always be there for patients to advice them and to discuss with them their choice of a pain relieving techniques. The pain that is experienced by patients after surgery is usually very great that it should not be underestimated. This is because the pain does different implications on both the patients and the community health services. A proper pain control after surgery therefore requires the intervention of the nurse which will give way for community health services thus helping the patient to gain his or her health back. Nurses facilitates the process of pain control and ensures that it well managed to speed the process of recovering of a patient. Health The health of a person enables that person to function mentally, spiritually, physically and socially in full ability. The belief that a good pain control and community health service helps an individual to rebuild after a surgery relates to health in the sense that an individual will only have a good health when he or she is not in pain. A person is considered to fully healthy if he or she is not feeling any pain. Surgery involves a lot of pain therefore after a surgery an individual requires pain relief which is achieved through proper pain control by the nurses to enable him or her to function properly both physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. When a person is in pain, he or she will not perform any physical activity in addition the person will not be able to socialize freely with other people. The person will also not think properly thus lacking both mental and spiritual thinking. This is because pain makes a person uncomfortable creating a feeling that something is wrong in the body. The pain in the body i.e. physical pain sends a signal to the brain through the spinal cords that something is wrong thus stopping the mind from working properly. It is therefore essential that after surgery a patient should receive a good pain control and community health service to enable him or her to rebuild his health. Effective pain management is therefore considered by nurses as part of recovery because it when it is well controlled it speeds up the process of healing and reduce complications that a person may experience as a result of surgery. Environment The surroundings in which individuals live do affect the activities performed in that particular environment. Nurses do require an enabling environment to enable them to perform their duties properly. After surgery it will for the well being of the patient to have a conducive environment in which physical, mental, spiritual and social healing is possible. The nature of the environment in which pain control is conducted is very essential and should be set to fit the requirements of different patients. Pain control will enable an individual to feel comfortable as he or she heals, get well faster and avoid some problems associated with surgery. The nurse theorist viewed was Margaret Newman who also came up with a nursing theory of health as an expanding consciousness which requires every person to find the meaning of life and find connections with other people in the rest of the world. According to Margaret, health means increasing awareness. She put forward that the role of a nurse is to identify the lifestyle of an individual so that the nurse can work within that lifestyle to help the individual achieve the goals of his or her life. Newmans theory includes the health of every individual irrespective of the condition of illness i.e. whether sick or well. Jean on the other hand developed a caring theory which involves the caring actions taken by nurses in their interaction with the patients. The caring theory involves the deep respect offered to patients by the nurses for the mysteries of life and the ability of the patients to change their lifestyles. Watsons caring theory also requires a nurse to help the patients to acquire self control, knowledge and healing not regarding their health conditions. The difference that exists between my beliefs on Newmans theory and Watsons caring theory is that Newmans theory was focused on helping every person whether in the absence or presence of sickness to understand his or her status. It focused on the adjustments that a nurse should put to ensure that a person meets his or her requirements. Watson on the other hand focused on caring for the patients, respecting them and helping them to understand themselves by acquiring self control, knowledge and healing. The similarity between the two theories is that both the two believe that it is the role of a nurse to ensure appropriate lifestyles for different persons whether sick or not. They both believe that a nurse should be able to identify or recognize and accurately detect the health status of a person and be able to help that person accordingly. They believe that a nurse must come together and engage in an interaction so that the nurse can understand the unique lifestyle of the person and provide care in a manner that fits that lifestyle. Finally both the beliefs involve human and nursing in the science of nursing in order to provide desired care to persons. The statement of my philosophy of nursing is the belief that Good pain control and community health services help rebuild a person after surgery. Conclusion Surgery is a very painful exercise which usually requires an immediate pain control to stop the patient from suffering. Pain management especially after surgery is therefore very essential for the well being of the patient and nurses should ensure that it is provided to enable the patient to rebuild his or her health. Reference Newman, M. A. (1972). Nursings theoretical evolution. Nursing Outlook, 20(5), 449-453. Newman, M.A. (1979). Theory development in nursing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Newman, M. A. (1982). Time as an index of expanding consciousness with age. Nursing Research, 31(5), 290-293. Newman, M.A. (1983). Newmans health theory. In I. Clements F. Roberts (Eds.), Family health: A theoretical approach to nursing care (pp. 161-175). New York: John Wiley. Engle, V. F. (1984). Newmans conceptual framework and the measurement of older adults health. Advances in Nursing Science, 7(1), 24-36. Newman, M. A. (1984). Nursing diagnosis: Looking at the whole. American Journal of Nursing, 84(12), 1496-1499. Newman, M.A. (1986). Health as Expanding Consciousness. St. Louis: Mosby. Newman, M. A. (1987). Aging as increasing complexity. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 13(9), 16-18. Newman, M.A. (1990). Newmans theory of health as praxis. Nursing Science Quarterly, 3(1), 37-41 Gustafson, W. (1990). Application of Newmans theory of health: Pattern recognition as nursing practice. In M. E. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories in practice (pp. 141-161). New York: National League for Nursing. Kalb, K. A. (1990). The gift: Applying Newmans theory of health in nursing practice. In M. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories in practice (pp. 163-186). New York: National League for Nursing. Newman, M. A. (1990). Shifting to higher consciousness. In M. E. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories in practice (pp. 129-139). New York: National League for Nursing. Newman, M. A. (1990). Toward an integrative model of professional practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 6(3), 167-173. Newman, M. A., Lamb, G. S., Michaels, C. (1991). Nurse case management: The coming together of theory and practice. Nursing Health Care, 12(8), 404-408. Newman, M. A., Sime, A. M., Corcoran-Perry, S. A. (1991). The focus of the discipline of nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 14(1), 1-6. Newman, M. A. (1992). Prevailing paradigms in nursing. Nursing Outlook, 40(1), 10-14. Marchione, J. (1993). Margaret Newman: Health as expanding consciousness. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Newman, M. A. (1994). Health expanding consciousness (2nd ed.). New York: National League for Nursing. Newman, M.A. (1994). Theory for nursing practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 7(4), 153-157. Newman, M. A. (1995). A developing discipline: Selected works of Margaret Newman. New York: National League for Nursing. Marchione, J. (1995). Margaret Newman: Health as expanding consciousness. In C. M. McQuiston A. A. Webb ( Eds.), Foundations of nursing theory: Contributions of 12 key theorists (pp. 261-316). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Engle, V. F. (1996). Newmans theory of health. In J. J. Fitzpatrick A. L. Whall (Eds.), Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application (3rd ed., pp. 275-288). Stamford, CT: Appleton Lange. Newman, M.A. (1996). Theory of the nurse-client partnership. In E. Cohen (Ed.), Nurse case management in the 21st Century (pp. 119-123). St. Louis: Mosby Year-book. Newman, M. A. (1997). Experiencing the whole. Advances in Nursing Science, 20(1), 34-39. Newman, M. A. (1997). Evolution of the theory of health as expanding consciousness. Nursing Science Quarterly, 10(1), 22-25. Yamashita, M., Jensen, E., Tall, F. (1998). Therapeutic touch: Applying Newmans theoretic approach. Nursing Science Quarterly, 11(2) 49-50. Desai, S., Keffer, M. J., Hensley, D. Kilgore-Keever, K. A., Langfitt, J. V. Peterson, L. (1998). Margaret A. Newman: Model of Health. In A. M. Tomey M. R. Alligood (Eds.), Nursing theorists and their work (4th ed., pp. 496-515). St. Louis: Mosby. Newman, M. A. (1999). The rhythm of relating in a paradigm of wholeness. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 31(3), 227-230. Pharris, M. D. (2001). Margaret A. Newman: Health as expanding consciousness. In Parker, M. (Ed.), Nursing theories and nursing practice (pp. 263-274). Philadelphia: Davis. Newman, M. A. (2002). Caring in the human health experience. International Journal for Human Caring. 6(2), 8-12. Newman, M. A. (2002). The pattern that connects. Advances in Nursing Science, 24(3), 1-7. Witucki, J. M. (2002). Newmans theory of health as expanding consciousness in nursing practice. In M. R. Alligood A. M. Tomey (Eds.), Nursing theory utilization application (2nd ed., pp. 429-449). St. Louis: Mosby. Newman, M. A. (2003). A world of no boundaries. Advances in Nursing Science, 26(4), 240-245. Endo, E. (2004). Nursing praxis with Margaret Newmans theory of health expanding consciousness. Nursing Science Quarterly, 17(2), 110-115. Health as Expanding Consciousness A website by Margaret Newman. ASSUMPTIONS deal with human life, nursing science, and the process of nursing. Watsons conception of human life is tied to notions that ones soul possesses a body that is not confined by objective space and time. The lived world of the experiencing person is not distinguished by external and internal notions of time and space, but shapes its own time and space, which is unconstrained by linearity. Nursing is a human science of persons and human health-illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human care transactions. The process of nursing is human care. THE THEORY OF HUMAN CARING The main concept of the theory is TRANSPERSONAL HUMAN CARING, which is best understood within the concepts of three ancillary concepts: LIFE, ILLNESS, and HEALTH. HUMAN LIFE is defined as spiritual-mental-physical being-in-the-world, which is continuous in time and space. ILLNESS is not necessarily disease. Illness is subjective turmoil or disharmony with a persons inner self or soul at some level or disharmony within the spheres of the person, either consciously or unconsciously. HEALTH refers to unity and harmony within the mind, body, and soul. TRANSPERSONAL HUMAN CARING and caring transactions are those scientific, professional, ethical, yet esthetic, creative and personalized giving-receiving behaviors and responses between nurse and patient that allow for contact between the subjective world of the experiencing persons through physical, mental, or spiritual routes or some combination thereof. THE GOAL OF NURSING is to help persons gain a higher degree of harmony within the mind, body, and soul which generates self-knowledge, self-reverence, self-healing, and self-care processes while increasing diversity. Nursing interventions or CARATIVE FACTORS are: Humanistic-altruistic system of values Faith-hope Sensitivity to self and others Helping-trusting, human care relationship Expressing positive and negative feelings Creative problem-solving caring process Transpersonal teaching-learning Supportive, protective, and/or corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual environment Human needs assistance Existential-phenomenological-spiritual forces Return to Top This page was last modified on 6/1/02