Marriage and Family Therapy free essay sample

This paper will also evaluate five major themes relevant to Marriage and Family Therapy which include: ethical dilemmas in marriage and family counseling, premarital counseling qualifications of marriage and family therapists including licensure and certification. The biblical insight related to marriage and family therapy will also be explored as well as my personal reflections about this topic. History and Development of Marriage Counseling Marriage counseling was established in the early 1930s. Counselors recognized the advantages and effectiveness of treating married couples in joined sessions. This growing appreciation for patterns of relationships in families led to numerous studies on marital conflict and dynamics and the effects on childrens development. In 1932, there were three marital clinics said to open. They worked with individuals and their difficulties adhering to traditional gender role expectations. Developed and founded in the late 1970’s was the Marriage and Family Therapy’s code of ethics which is called The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage and Family Therapy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The organizations philosophy was that marriage and family therapy were two separate areas, each with their own histories, concepts and differing practices. (AAMFT, 2012) Introduction of Marriage and Family Counseling Counseling is to help persons understand and clarify their views of their life space, and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-informed choices and through resolution or problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature. (Burks and Steffire, 1979 . Focusing on a broader field in counseling, What is Marriage and Family Counseling? Marriage and family counselors work with couples and families on a wide range of clinical problems including, but not limited to, depression, marital strife, communication, and anxiety and child-parent problems. Marriage and family counseling is not just for unhappy or struggling couples, couple’s therapy can be used proactively to strengthen bonds and to gain a better understanding of one other. In addition, before a marriage begins pre-marital counseling can help couples achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before their wedding day. They also help families learn to solve their problems by managing their relationships effectively. Family therapists often work with individuals, the couple and parents and children to get a better perspective of patterns that affect the entire system to develop strategies for modification. (Corey, Corey amp; Callanan p. 450 2011). Family Counseling is important to the counseling field this therapy can help people within the family to resolve their disputes and quarrels through effective communication. Proper communication with the help of a therapist or a counselor can help family members discuss their problems and issues with each other. The importance of the family in our development as whole and healthy individuals is recognized as a basic truth by. In most cases, however, a disturbed and distressed client will have some difficult, challenging relationships within his/her family and these will need to be explored and addressed if the client is to discover and create relief and resolution of their problem. Biblical Insights related to Marriage and Family Therapy In the book, Competent Christian Counseling it states that â€Å"To understand the individual, the one must see the individual in the context of his or her system of relationships† This implies that the quality of a individual is much more than one person, the person is a part of a social system that begins with family. (Clinton amp; Ohlsclager p. 518 2002). From a biblical aspect Family is described as a social system that progressed by forming a set of rules, roles, power structure. Forms of communication and way to solve problems. There are four key principles that a Christian counselors point out when approaching any family. The first one is â€Å"The family, in is social dimensions, reflects God†. Meaning that The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all have unique distinctiveness however they are â€Å"one† as God; this is compared to the Family. A family can consist of a mother, father and children or a mother and husband. If thought they are their own persons, they are considered â€Å"one†. The second key principle that is describe is â€Å"Family health, individual health, and maturity are inseparably entwined†. This key principle entails that the powers of family identity and socialization is significant for growth and development among each family member, which can ultimately lead to healthy family living. â€Å"The Family is also like the church is that next basic principle, meaning that a family has functions like the church. Finally, the last key principle describes states that â€Å"Trouble is reproduced, but can also be stopped, in families and in generations of families†. This key principle indicates that there is a psychosocial and spiritual relation among family reproduction pertaining to alcoholism and other issues as describes in Competent Christian Counseling as â€Å"generational curses†. Christians believe that these issues within families from generation to generation can be transformed through Christ. A example is that of Abraham found in Genesis 20. Abrahams family was said to show favoritism to certain children, which continued for three generations. When it comes to marriage counseling, Christian counselors believe marriage counseling helps couples to understand God’s pattern for husband-wife relationships, diagnoses unbiblical patterns and their root causes, and prescribes God’s solutions for soul change that leads to relational growth. Biblical marriage counseling should result in enhanced relationship: closeness with Christ, intimacy with your spouse, and a sense of greater peace. Biblical insights involving to family counseling, the focus is solutions, not simply external solutions. Your counselor will help you to understand God’s design for healthy family living, will assist you to assess unhealthy and unbiblical ways of relating as parents and children, and will equip you to reconcile and grow in your family relationships. Counselor Identity, Functions and Ethics of Marriage and Family Counseling The practice of Marriage and Family counseling rest on the foundation of systems theory, which views psychological problems as arising from within the person’s present environment and intergenerational family system. Corey, Corey, Callanan p. 449 2011). The systems theory is very similar to the views on Christian Counselors as stated earlier; â€Å"Trouble is reproduced, but can also be stopped, in families and in generations of families†. Marriage and Family therapists follow a specific code of ethics know as The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Founded in 1942 as the American Association of Marriage Counselors, the A AMFT has been involved with the problems, needs and changing patterns of couples and family relationships. The association focuses on increasing understanding, research and education in the field of marriage and family therapy, and ensuring the quality training of marriage and family therapists. AAMFT members meet standards for education and training and are held to the ethical standards of the profession. (AAMFT, 2011) AAMFT ethics are broken down in eight core areas. The first area is the responsibility to Clients. Marriage and family therapist have a responsibility to the welfare of both the family and individuals in the family. Therapists are to make reasonable efforts to guarantee their services are used properly and accordingly. Confidentiality is the next core area, which applies to all code of ethics pertaining to the counseling field. Confidentially in Marriage and Family is distinctive because the therapist is dealing with a group of people. However, the AAMFT insist on therapists to respect the confidentiality of each individual client. Although, confidentiality is essential, there are some exceptions. Those exceptions include, mandates by the law pertaining to cases of child and elderly abuse, incest, or abuse to persons with disabilities. A therapist has an exemption from confidentially when it is necessary to protect clients from hurting themselves and others (AAMFT, 2011). When working with a family, all family members must agree concerning the release of any information. Some therapists, in fact, arrange for sessions with individual family members to actively encourage the sharing of secrets to better understand what is occurring in the family. The therapist then may work with the individual client in the hope of enabling that person to disclose the same information in the family session. Marriage and family therapists are to maintain high standards if professional competence and integrity. Therapists must remain current on any developments and advances relevant to their field of practice. They can do this by continuing education, training, workshops and interacting with other professionals in the marriage and family therapy field. (Corey, Corey amp; Callanan p. 452 2011). Therapists also have a responsibility to students and supervisees. They are not to manipulate the trust and dependency of the students and supervisees in which there are working with. Responsibility to the profession is the next core is in the AAMFT code of ethics. This includes reporting people practicing without a license and contributing to community service for advancement of the society. The next core area is financial arrangements. Marriage and family therapists are not to misuse clients financially for services. Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions states that clients are to be â€Å"truthful in representing facts to clients and to third parties regarding any services rendered†. The last core area in the ethical standards of Marriage and family therapy is advertising. Therapists are able to truthfully represent their competence, education, training and experience in marriage and family therapy. Nevertheless, they should not advertise themselves as specialists with show evidence and supporting this assertion. The therapists primary responsibilities are to protect the rights and to promote the welfare of his or her clients. The dilemma with multiple clients is that in some situations an intervention that serves one persons best interests may be conflicting to another. Indeed, the very reason that families tend to seek therapy is because they have conflicting goals and interests. The family therapist must insure that improvement in the status of one family member does not Occur at the expense of another family member. Other therapists implement the policy of not keeping secrets from other family members. They clearly discourage the sharing of any information that might lead to a special alliance with one individual and that excludes the remaining uninformed family members. The impact of the therapists values, unavoidable in any counseling process, can play a particularly role in marriage and family therapies. Issues discussed in family therapy elicit very important personal, familial, and societal values regarding preservation of the family system, extramarital relationships, and sex roles. Dealing with these values is not easy, particularly when the therapist confronts a conflict in values among different family members and is inclined to reinforce the beliefs and attitudes of one family member over another (Hines amp; Hare p. 65 1978). Premarital Counseling Couples now face more demands and have fewer supports than ever before. The typical complex marriage includes managing two careers while rearing children really requires that couples have very strong, well-established abilities to communicate, resolve issues, maintain support and set goals. Without this foundation, its easy to feel overwhelmed by stress and time pressures. Problems can intrude mu ch more easily than most couples realize. Therefore, premarital counseling is recommended for couples looking to eventually get married. Research shows that premarital counseling reduces the risk of divorce by up to 30% . Premarital counseling is a type of therapy that helps couples prepare for marriage. Premarital counseling can help ensure that you and your partner have a strong, healthy relationship, giving you a better chance for a stable and satisfying marriage. Premarital counseling can also help you identify weaknesses that could become bigger problems during marriage. There are a variety of formats of counseling through local psychology and counseling centers, including individual counseling, small group counseling and interactive seminars where couples participate with a large number of other couples. (Wright p. 65 1992) Characteristics and Qualifications of Marriage and Family Therapists To be qualified as a marriage and family therapist requires not just that you get the right degree, pass the right tests and meet the licensing requirements, but that you possess qualities that prove you to be both sensitive and firm. Corey, Corey and Callanan in Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions identifies personal characteristics for effective marriage and family therapists as being assertive, confident, accepting, appreciating the influence of diversity to just name a few. Self knowledge is predominantly vital for marriage and family therapists because when working with a family, their reactions and perceptions are influenced by their own regard to family of origin issues. Marriage and Family Therapists must be sensitive to dealing with peoples most personal and graphic secrets, shame, guilt and rage. A Marriage and Family therapist should be embarrassed to hear about these things or make distasteful comments about a chosen lifestyle or action, otherwise she risks shutting out the patient. An effective marriage and family therapists must listen to stories that are painful to hear but should remember that those stories are always more painful for the teller than the listener. An important quality in an marriage and family therapists is recognizing the difference between judging and advising. A good marriage and family therapist will help the patient with insights into sensible decisions that lead to greater personal happiness and responsibility but will not tell the patient what choice to make or ask the patient to adhere to the therapists own likes and dislikes. An marriage and family therapist should distinguish between dysfunctional qualities in a patient and those that are simply non-normative. Marriage and family therapists may hear confessions of illegal activity or hear from the victims of crimes, and legal codes dictate what they have to report. A therapists job is not just to listen but to encourage the patient to take action in his life to get the patient to see their actions in a clear light and make good decisions in turn. Marriage and family therapist can become eligible for state certification, or licensure, upon completion of their internship. First, candidates must register with the Association of Marital and Therapy Regulatory Boards. The Regulatory board will examine the applicants credentials, education and experience to establish competency before the applicant can qualify for testing. State certification costs vary from state to state. Each state has different rules regarding retesting if the candidate does not pass the test on his or her first attempt. Upon completion of the test, scores are validated and mailed to the candidate. A candidate who has passed the state exam is called a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is free to practice in a private or clinical setting. The educational requirements to become a Marriage and Family Therapist are regulated by each state and thus may vary; however, most will require a masters degree or higher in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related field from an accredited institution. It is essential for students to gain experience in working with a selection of families from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. A program that offers a all-inclusive course work and clinical supervision provides the ideal learning situation. Corey, Corey amp; Callanan p. 457 2011) Ethical Dilemmas is Marriage and Family Counseling Couples counselors and family and marriage therapists are likely to encounter many ethical dilemmas throughout their careers. Because of the nature of couples therapy, issues pertaining to informed consent, confidentiality, multiple relationships, and value systems can have a damaging effect of the counselor-client relationship if they arent handled appropriately and discussed by both parties at the beginning of the counseling relationship. Informed consent refers to the process of informing clients about the therapeutic process. Issues such as fees and payment schedules, appointment cancellation policy, theoretical framework that the counselor employs in his practice, approaches and techniques the counselor intends to use with clients and the limits of confidentiality should all be discussed. In addition to discussing verbal consultation, clients also should be given an informed consent package detailing all the information discussed in session. Clients should be asked to sign an informed consent document for both the client and counselors records. In couples counseling, informed consent prevents misunderstandings, disagreements and hostility between the counselor and the client. (AAMFT, 2011) One of the biggest ethical dilemmas in any kind of counseling is confidentiality. This is particularly complicated when it comes to couples counseling in which couples receive both individual and couple counseling. It is important for the counselor to determine early on in the counseling process whether information disclosed in individual counseling sessions will be kept confidential or if both individuals will sign waivers allowing whats discussed in private sessions to be brought up in couples counseling. According to the AAMFT Code of Ethics, counselors must discuss the limits of confidentiality with their clients and make sure clients understand these limits. Article 2. of the AAMFT Code of Ethics states that marriage and family therapists do not disclose client confidences except by written authorization or waiver, or where mandated or permitted by law. Verbal authorization will not be sufficient except in emergency situations, unless prohibited by law. When providing couple, family or group treatment, the therapist does not disclose information outside the treatment context without a written authorization from each individual competent to execute a waiver. In the context of couple, family or group treatment, the therapist may not reveal any individuals confidences to others in the client unit without the prior written permission of that individual. (AAMFT, 2011) In counseling, multiple relationships refer to a situation when the counselor and client are engaged in a sexual or nonsexual relationship outside the counseling relationship. Multiple relationships are often unavoidable, especially in small towns; as a counselor, you may attend the same church as your clients, your children might be on the same soccer team or you may serve on the same board or council. However, multiple relationships should always be avoided when possible. In couples counseling, multiple relationships can further complicate the counseling relationship if the counselor is involved in a multiple relationship with one client but not the other. The client that is not involved in the multiple relationships may feel that the counselor is taking sides or treating her unfairly. (Corey, Corey amp; Callanan 2011) At some point in their careers, counselors are likely to encounter couples with a value and belief system that differs significantly from their own. Within the counseling relationship, the counselor has a position of authority; the counselor must not take advantage of this position by trying to impose his values on the client or clients. Counselors must understand that individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and religions than their own may have different value systems. It is not the counselors job to change his clients value system; it is only the counselors job to help clients become comfortable with the decisions they make within their personal value systems. Article 1. of the AAMFT Code of ethics states that marriage and family counselors respect the rights of clients to make decisions and help them to understand the consequences of these decisions. (AAMFT, 2011). Personal Reflections In todays world more and more people are experiencing life struggles when it comes to family. These issues can range from problems in a marriage, how to deal with your children issues and understand yourself and how to deal with your family and certain issues. The area of marriage and family counseling/therapy has had an outbreak over the past decade. The counselors are expected to work effectively with families experiencing a variety of issues and problems. In marriage and family therapy/counseling there are so many different types of techniques that are out there but should be used and looked upon not a cure, but a method to help mobilize the family. Choosing this topic wasnt hard for me because of the love I have my family and evaluating what I believe needs to be repaired and what I believe stands strong for us. I believe in saving marriages and families, I think it is really important. Having strong family and a stable marriage plays such a major part in kids lives today, they need a solid foundation in order to have a healthy life. Watching so many young couples get divorce after less than two years of marriage and seeing how the kids suffer really from the break up of the family. I believe that if younger therapist/counselors were out there and start getting involved in the community, church and conducting seminars relating to marriage and families this could be the beginning of change. This is why I chose this topic to research.

Conjugating the Verb Désobéir (to Disobey) in French

Conjugating the Verb Dà ©sobà ©ir (to Disobey) in French The verb  dà ©sobà ©ir  means to disobey in French. To transform it into the past tense disobeyed or the present tense disobeying, the verb needs to be conjugated. This is a relatively simple French lesson that will show you how to do that. Conjugating the French Verb  Dà ©sobà ©ir French students are often frustrated by verb conjugations because there are so many verb forms to remember. The nice thing about a verb like  dà ©sobà ©ir  is that its a  regular -IR verb. This means that it follows a common conjugation pattern. If you learn this one, verbs like  convertir  (to convert) and  chà ©rir  (to cherish) will be a little easier because the same rules apply. French verb conjugations take into account both the subject pronoun  and  the present, future, or past tense. As you study the chart, notice how the endings attached to the verb stem  dà ©sobà ©-  change. For instance, I disobey is je dà ©sobà ©is and we will disobey is nous dà ©sobà ©irons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©irai dà ©sobà ©issais tu dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©iras dà ©sobà ©issais il dà ©sobà ©it dà ©sobà ©ira dà ©sobà ©issait nous dà ©sobà ©issons dà ©sobà ©irons dà ©sobà ©issions vous dà ©sobà ©issez dà ©sobà ©irez dà ©sobà ©issiez ils dà ©sobà ©issent dà ©sobà ©iront dà ©sobà ©issaient The Present Participle of  Dà ©sobà ©ir The  present participle  of dà ©sobà ©ir  is  dà ©sobà ©issant.  This is as simple as adding -ant  to the verb stem. Not only is this a verb, but it also acts as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. Another Common Past Tense Form   A  common form of the past tense disobeyed in French is the  passà © composà ©. To form this, begin by conjugating the  auxiliary, or helping verb  avoir, then add the  past participle  dà ©sobà ©i. As an example, I disobeyed is jai dà ©sobà ©i and we disobeyed is nous avons dà ©sobà ©i. More Simple  Dà ©sobà ©ir  Conjugations The following verb forms of  dà ©sobà ©ir  are less common, though you may run into them as you speak and read more French. While you may never use them yourself, its a good idea to be able to recognize them as a form of to disobey. The subjunctive and conditional imply some level of uncertainty or dependency to the verbs action. The passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are primarily found in French writing. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je dà ©sobà ©isse dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©isse tu dà ©sobà ©isses dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©is dà ©sobà ©isses il dà ©sobà ©isse dà ©sobà ©irais dà ©sobà ©it dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®t nous dà ©sobà ©issions dà ©sobà ©irions dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®mes dà ©sobà ©issions vous dà ©sobà ©issiez dà ©sobà ©iriez dà ©sobà ©Ãƒ ®tes dà ©sobà ©issiez ils dà ©sobà ©issent dà ©sobà ©iraient dà ©sobà ©irent dà ©sobà ©issent The imperative verb form is often used for short and direct commands and requests. This is a simplified conjugation as you can skip the subject pronoun. Rather than saying tu dà ©sobà ©is,  you can use dà ©sobà ©is alone. Imperative (tu) dà ©sobà ©is (nous) dà ©sobà ©issons (vous) dà ©sobà ©issez

Proofing Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Proofing Memo - Essay Example Then I automatically spell and grammar check through a computer program. After completing the computer program, I reread the piece one more time. While creating this document, I do not sit continuously at the computer. I get up every once in awhile to stretch, take a bathroom break, or get a drink. This helps me refocus upon my task. This is a good time to check margins and tabs. Formatting a word document depends on the computer program being used. Spacing, paragraphs, and margins are important for several reasons. The most primary reason is so your document can be printer ready. Without the correct formatting, printing can cause the document to run together, lose page numbers, or have incorrect headers or footers. Formatting is also vital for email and faxing documents. No matter how good an item is proofread, if the formatting is wrong, the document will not arrive to the intended target in a professional manner. When checking a document’s formatting, searching for one type of mistake at a time can help catch more mistakes. For example, first look for spelling errors only. Then grammar errors can be searched for in your document. Page numbers, headings, footnotes, font size and type, or any other error can be looked for one type of error at a time. This helps focus your attention on one type of mistake, instead of trying to take the whole document in at once. If I try to look for all the mistakes at once, I generally miss one type, due to my focus being divided. Then I practice another familiar technique. I walk away from my project for the day. After a good night’s sleep, I come back to my computer. Sometimes, I only take a nap. The point is to rest before continuing work. Then I reread what is written. Many times I can see where in the heat of the moment, I did not logically write what I meant. Since some spelling and grammar mistakes will not be picked up by a computer

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Reading response - Essay Example They achieve this by exploring the genesis of biodiversity, as well as the implications of the fields of ecology and conservation biology in terms of shaping biodiversity. Maclaurin and Sterelny seek to define the various forms of biodiversity, which are critical to fields such as taxonomy, ecology, developmental biology and morphology. They construe that biological heritage is rich in all bio-diversities (Krishnamurthy 211). The reading concludes with the authors drawing focus to phenotype diversity by delving into the topic of development. They note that genes serve as paradigmatic developmental, as well as evolutionary resources, and form the basis of what all species depend upon for their fundamental existence. They ask a fundamental question in the field of biology; whether ecosystems of communities typically operate as crucial organized systems on a biological level. Maclaurin and Sterelny (25) argue that if ecosystems fail to function as biologically organized systems, the richness of each species encapsulates ecological diversity. Maclaurin and Sterelny consider the availability of crucial details regarding a species and the presence of vital environmental variables that impact the species as sufficient information to facilitate the comprehension of ecological results. However, the authors argue that these results cannot be attained in organized ecosystems. The authors further delve into the topic of biodiversity conservation through the use of option value theory, a concept derived from economics. Overall, I agree with the authors regarding the importance of diversity in biology. I strongly believe that biodiversity facilitates the existence of life, regardless of the organism found in the ecosystem. Without biodiversity, natural sustainability for every life form would be impossible to achieve. The significance of biodiversity primarily centers on the sustenance of

Chinese people and Classical Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese people and Classical Music - Essay Example Music is one of the most fundamental elements of the culture and reflects the various trends which are typical of a nation. And when it comes to China that is for sure one of the oldest civilizations of the world, carrying out research in this area seems even more reasonable because of the fact that China is viewed as the pioneer in the fields of music, sculpture, art and poetry, and the Chinese have introduced divergent forms of music in the history specially during the Zhou and Han regimes, which won applause and popularity in different areas of the world. Having said this, the significance of the topic can easily be estimated. This is principally a qualitative research. The methodology was based on such research tools as interviews, desk study and brainstorming. As you can see on the poster, I started my research on the association of the youth of China with the Classical music of the past in two ways. First, I started to study and analyze the research conducted by various scholar s in the past in the same area. I believe it is always a good idea to refer to the history of literature about the areas of knowledge you want to explore. For this purpose, I tried my best to work out all related researches from the past and somehow, I managed to lay my hands on quite a lot of the required stuff.

EU Responses to the Refugee Crisis

EU Responses to the Refugee Crisis How have the European Union member states handled the Refugee Crisis? Discuss how it should be dealt with. Introduction The European Migrant / Refugee Crisis means a massive refugee movement since 2015 with leap in casualties as a result of local disputes in Africa and the Middle East, moving from the original region to the European Union through the Mediterranean Sea or southeast Europe (The UN Refugee Agency, 2015; Amnesty International, 2015). Of course, before this point, Europe had experienced a series of situations in which many refugees and immigrants flowed in and were accepted. However, the European refugee crisis after 2015 started from the state that no one knows practical and exact solutions with the massive scale per movement, unpredictability that nobody can confirm termination point, and with difficulties in methods that cannot be solved by methods of border blockade and movement control. It also showed unknown and unique characteristics to be explored through actual cases and for concrete solutions. (Townsend, 2015). Because this situation is unprecedented situation for the internation al community after World War II, the international community, centering on the United Nations, categorizes it as a special case. In relation to the refugee issue, the EU member states are facing a number of controversies and serious confrontations over the acceptance of refugees. For example, the EU Commission has warned that the refugee capacity and economic burden of Greece and Italy, as the first arrivals of Syrian and North African refugees, have already reached their limits, and emphasized that they can no longer watch this issue but the EU member states need to share each others suffering through the refugee quota system. For that, the member states advocating the acceptance of refugees actively such as Germany and France, accepted the relocation scheme for 160,000 migrants from Greece and Italy, while the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, expressed their dissent. (The guardian, 2016; Trauner, 2016) In this regard, this essay will categorize EU member states response to refugee acceptance into two broad categories, and examine their claims and the challen ges that remain for them in the future. I will start with the opinions of Germany as a representative of Western European countries that have been favored for refugees since 2015, accepting the largest number of immigrants in Europe.[1] Then, I will mainly analyze the Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who opposed the refugee policy and argued the temporary refugee allocations cannot be a solution. In addition to their differences, I would like to discuss solutions that could be implemented differently in the EU, member states, individuals and other continents. Literature Review Historically, the movement of peoples or tribes has always existed, and its forms have been very varied, such as voluntary or forced migration, immigration or refugees. However, as the number of refugees coming to Europe has increased sharply since 2015, studies on immigration policy and the improvement of legal system have been actively conducted in Europe and elsewhere. Mchugh (2015) produced in-depth press releases analyzing the phenomenon of refugee situations reinforcing the conservative immigration policy of the right-wing political forces, however, with the anti-immigrant sentiment associated with the refugee crisis and the rise of populist parties, many similar studies are still underway. Also, Ross and Zaun (2016) have explored the relationship between the global economic crisis and immigration policy, and many researches have been actively carried out in relation to the fact that the refugee crisis is a problem that cannot be separated from the economic crisis. Nevertheless, I think it is time to find solutions in a different level with the existing crises in Europe, in the way that the European Union, which appears to be a collective of humanitarian societies, is in fact very vulnerable to external shocks, and even though the European Union is formally a democratic ideal society, it is very difficult to reach consensus by gathering opinions among internal members. And this European refugee situation is not only an economic and political issue, but also a problem with a fairly complex ethical dimension. In addition, it is not a matter of European continent alone, but it is a problem that the world should cooperate with. Therefore, we should find some suggestions that can be suggested not only to EU member countries but also to North America and Asia. Background The UN 1951 Refugee Convention, the basis for the establishment of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), describes the refugees as: †¦ being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events (UNHCR, 2011) Europe has long been in the midst of refugee problems, but the immediate cause of European refugee problems since 2015 is closely linked to the Syrian civil war. In the context of the democratization movement after Arab Spring, there has been a civil war between Syrian rebels and government troops to evacuate Al Assads government from 2011, and the disastrous consequences of the IS occupation of eastern Syria, the number of refugees as victims has explosively increased. In September, 2015, a photograph of a 3-year-old boy a Kurdish Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, who was killed in the middle of a move from Syria to Europe, caused a major international impact. (The Independent, 2015) This led to the turning of countries that were passive in accepting refugees to an active position. On the other hand, in the European Union, conflicts are occurring between Member States due to the two basic treaties, the Schengen Treaty and the Dublin Treaty, which are applied in relation to the acceptance of refugees. First, the Schengen Agreement (1985) is a border open treaty between EU member states that requires the elimination of borders and immigration procedures, and assure the equal treatment of nationals with their own nationals. In the case of refugee matters, the Schengen Treaty has more significance, because when a visa is granted in one country people can enjoy freedom of movement within the Schengen zone. Meanwhile, the Dublin Convention, which started in 1990 in the 12 member states of the European Union and entered into force in 1997, is a treaty establishing the principle that which country should apply for refugee applications filed with each member state and ensuring that the country in charge of refugee is dealing with the issue. The meaning of the Dublin Treaty in refugee issues is that it has curbed the prevalence of refugee claims in certain European Union countries and has clearly identified the need for states to assume equal responsibility for refugee acceptance. However, this two treaties confronts the unexpected difficulties. Due to geopolitical conditions, it is Greece and Italy where the refugees firstly arrive through the Mediterranean, while it is Hungary when they use land route through Turkey. However, due to various reasons including economic recession and security problems, it is difficult for these countries to accept mass refugees. Even if these countries accept refugees, it is a problem because it is contrary to the basic purpose of the Dublin Treaty, based on the equal responsibility of accepting refugees. Also, various problems which can be caused by freedom of movement guaranteed in Schengen treaty leads to the case where the Dublin Treaty is virtually rendered impotent. How the Member States Responded Germany has a key position in the European Union, reserving the Dublin Treaty on August, 2015 and proclaiming unconditional acceptance of Syrian refugees, giving a bit of a breath of fresh air to the Mediterranean countries, including Greece. Germany decided to focus on the policy by actively accepting refugees in order to resolve the problems and declared to accept about 800,000 refugees of about 1.2 million refugees arriving in Europe, which is about 1% of the population of Germany[2]. (BBC, 2016) In addition to these actions, Germany pressed the Middle-Eastern European countries to overcome the crisis through solidarity among their member countries rather than their own self-determination. At the same time, the countries in favor of refugees tried to convince Middle-Eastern European countries suffering from aging due to declining fertility rates and the widespread export of skilled engineers to Western Europe that refugees with a high level of education will be able to become a new growth engine rather than depriving them of their jobs. (The Economist, 2015) On the other hand, Poland, Hungary, and other Central and Eastern European countries argue the current EU refugee policy (Germany-led) is unrealistic and requires too much sacrifice and obligation to the Member States. In other words, although the situation in the Member States of the EU is all different, they are unilaterally forcing the reference point in one standard. For example, Germany, actively accepting refugees, is the country with the third highest percentage of immigrants in the world, including the immigrants about 12% of the total population.[3] Therefore, it is argued that social understanding of refugee acceptance is very high. Also, as of 2017, Germanys unemployment rate is as low as 3.6% (CEIC, 2017) and the declining skilled labor force due to aging population and low birth rate, is also a necessity to replenish the labor force through inflow of refugees. However, the situation in Eastern Europe is different from that in Western. There are still many countries that are suffering from high unemployment rates and financial self-reliance is weak compared to advanced countries in Western Europe. In addition, many countries in the Middle-Eastern Europe still have conflicts and racial issues in the past, and the public opinion on refugee acceptance due to the lack of immigrants is also negative. Therefore, they argued if some advanced countries, such as Germany, ignore the situation of the Middle-Eastern Europe and claim the refugee quota system on their own, without consideration of the situation of other regions, it will provide a source of serious social problems. In addition, the ability of the Middle-Eastern European countries to exceed their limitations is one of the reasons for their opposition to the relocation scheme. In the case of Hungary, which is the land of Syrian refugees among Central European countries, had received more than 170,000 asylum applications arrived by the end of 2015, (BBC, 2016) This has led to serious social and financial deterioration to a serious level. Even though Middle-Eastern European countries are gradually increasing their economies of scale through industrialization, they have been in the EU for 10 more or less 10 years, it can be argued that this is an overwhelming situation. Furthermore, they pointed out that the temporary refugee allocation cannot be a fundamental solution to the refugee crisis and that the powerful nations should take practical solutions. In fact, the struggle between the Syrian dictatorship and the anti-government forces that have resisted it has already become more complicated as support forces from Russia, China-America and Saudi Arabia have been long-termed with their own weapons support. Plus, it can be a trend that is continuing to increase as the number of refugees passing through Europe increases, nobody can say that the limit is the limit. They repeat passing refugees to each other,[4] and as a result, mutual denunciations have also heated up, deepening the conflict between neighboring countries. These countries, in particular, demanded that the EU completely block the so-called ‘Balkan Route,’ which has become a major route for refugees to Europe since 2015. They put pressure saying if the EU does not launch it, they will implement it on their own, and made it closed in March 2016. In addition, the EU strongly opposed shifting the external borders of non-EU countries to the border with Greece, not the Greek coastline but the Greek northern land, namely Macedonia or Bulgaria.[5] This claim has been welcomed by Balkan European countries, such as Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria, who are experiencing serious social and economic crises due to refugee problems, as they are now on the Balkan route of mass influx of refugees. Actually, in the background of these claims, distrust of Greece takes a big part. They say it would not have brought such a serious situation if the Greece well-managed the refugees arrived in its coast based on the ‘Dublin Treaty,’ which set the principle of national order to deal with asylum application. They have believed that Greece has helped these refugees to enter the EU addressing the difficulty of mass refugee problems and has either neglected or guided these refugees to go through the Balkan route and into the EU. Thus, it was claimed that Greeces overland border blocking and the establishment of new external borders are inevitable in order to prevent mass refugee inflows to the Central and Eastern European countries that follow the Balkan route geographically.[6] However, when the Balkan route was closed down in 2016,[7] it was heavily criticized by many scholars as the European Institutions exalted this agreement as an instrument for putting an end to the refugee crisis, but afterwards, none of them took authorship and the responsibility for this statement (Sardelic, 2017). Meantime, at the EU level, it was necessary to control the refugee inflow rate and seek cooperation from Turkey. The EU has offered a remedy for providing 6 billion euros in economic support, a visa waiver for Turkish citizens, facilitating Turkeys EU accession negotiations, and acceptance of a Syrian refugee from Turkey whenever they accept one of the ineligible refugees who are repatriated from Greece. That is to say, Turkey received a long-awaited visa exemption and subscription negotiations on the condition that non-eligible refugees who do not meet the refugee qualification criteria are allowed to re-enter Turkey from Europe as a transit country. The EU says the EU-Turkey agreement is aimed at an important moral practice goal. In other words, by screening camouflaged refugees, Europe will be able to receive the real refugees who have gone on the journey of life to avoid the reality and possibility of political persecution. (Economist, 2015). Because Turkey is bordered by Syria and Iraq, where refugees are most prevalent, and the East Mediterranean Sea route is the fastest route to Europe, so coordination with Turkey was an inevitable choice to do. But this negotiation with Turkey faced many criticisms. It is pointed out that there are ethical problems in negotiations with Turkey, which tend to be violent and non-humanitarian in their relations with the Kurd. That means, it can help consolidate the dictators power base by recognizing the legitimacy of the authoritarian regime in Europes values and actions to solve the troublesome problems in Europe. In particular, the visa waiver issue has been criticized because the EU was just engrossed in reducing the number of refugees and as it has nothing to do with humanitarian principles or treatment of refugees. But the EU-Turkey agreement appears to be in force. After the EU-Turkey agreement, the number of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to Europe has sharply decreased. Besides, the European refugee crisis is currently undergoing a settling due to the agreement between the EU and Turkey, but it is hard to know how long it will last. First, it is unclear whether the agreement between the EU and Turkey will continue. As a condition of the EU-Turkey agreement, Turkey must legislate and implement many reforms. It is uncertain whether Turkey can and will meet the needs of the EU. If Turkeys reforms do not meet the expectations of the EU, the EU will not be able to implement the visa exemption proposed by Turkey as a carrot and the resumption of EU accession negotiations as scheduled, and Turkey will likely respond by opening the way for refugees. The bigger problem is that the EU does not have enough time and cards to persuade its member countries of the border blockade. The EU, which is fiercely contested over the direction of refugee policy with Middle Eastern European countries due to mass refugees from the Middle East, has been troubled by the crisis of the Brexit (United Kingdom out from the EU) and the possibility of the collapse of the European zone. But there is growing concern over whether the Schengen Treaty can be maintained as it is now, as the conflict of interests within the EU member states is sharply divided and the leadership of the major member states is weakening. It is difficult to rule out the possibility that the EUs core Schengen treaty will collapse and that the EU member states could lead to a huge economic loss, possibly triggering a disintegration of the EU itself. Suggestion Often when looking at refugees from Europe, refugee problems are sometimes approached in terms of human resources, not humanitarian, but I argue that it is not right to analyze refugees from the point of view of human resources. It reflects the view that although Europe has taken on the problems of other continents but they can use them as a resource for the development of the European Union as well as the intention to resolve the economic downturn in Europe based on refugee labor and taxes. Therefore, I would like to suggest to consider the meaning of accepting refugees as historical moment when two civilizations coexist in Europe. To this end, the perception that two civilizations are essential partners for mutual development should be fully considered. Although the problem of refugees is in the process of seemingly tragic modern history, the consensus of historical awareness cooperation in balancing the exchange between Europe and other civilizations will be important. In addition, it is important to establish a social consensus on the refugee problem. For this purpose, it is important to have a positive attitude to actively participate in and understand the refugee problem as their own issue. In addition, people’s attitude and consideration for refugees should not be limited to small acts of humanity, but to the level of helping them and causing social structural changes that can be accepted as members of the community. At the social level, we should make efforts to secure and maintain the soundness of the society itself while at the same time utilizing more active acceptance policies in the human rights dimension. Citizenship ethics education for social integration as well as sophisticated policy planning should be done together. The attitude of the developed countries that have the capacity to accommodate the refugees may be caused by the refusal of the refugees and the disgusting tendencies that are prevalent in the civil society, but also there are a few political movements encourage anti-immigrants atmosphere such as populism. It is a well-known fact that some discomfort may arise when accommodating refugees, but the social atmosphere that encourages fear beyond it is a challenge to be overcome. Accepting a certain part of the refugees is a recognition of a new way of life, which means that there is some change in the existing way of life. However, this should strive to expand soundness in all aspects of institutions and consciousness so that it does not threaten the current lifestyle, culture, or identity of the society. It is also necessary for the refugees who receive help to form and practice their own sense of responsibility. In some parts of Europe, which accept refugees, the voice of concern is increasing due to the unethical conduct of refugees. Some cases of refugee applicants committing crimes such as sexual violence, robbery, theft, etc can impair the view of refugees and at the same time worsen public opinion regarding the local identity of refugees. Therefore, refugees should practice their own responsible behavior norms, and follow their own responsibility to better fulfill their responsibilities. In addition, active and in-depth consideration and efforts should be made to resolve the causes of the refugees home country. It would be great if the refugees who are directly related to their home countries have interests in their home countries’ issues after the resettlement and are engaged in the refugee research of the settlement countries. Conclusion Immigration is a huge and complex phenomenon, so it is powerful enough to change the overall picture of society. Thats why we cannot find a solution by comparing what the related costs and benefits are, but the outcome depends on how we deal with it. In particular, European refugee issues are closely linked to human rights issues in that they basically escape from violence. Therefore, it may be possible to discuss the theory of convergence by suggesting a new type of larger community such as Global Citizenship Ethics or to introduce a third ethical framework. At the national level, the refugee problem needs to be regarded as a problem of the social community and its members. Refugees themselves need a responsibility to actively resolve the causes of their problems. In summary, Germany, as a representative of Western Europe, is relatively moderate in its policy of accepting refugees, because in the German society the elements are implicitly contained with a wide range of issues and developments; historical consciousness and tolerance that reflects the Nazis mistakes, well-established educational and political institutions that have supported humanitarian respect. However, the eastern European countries have a tough stance on the refugee problem. The influx of refugees with different religions and cultures is a kind of cultural shock because of the deprivation due to the relatively poor environment and the social environment maintaining the religious and ethnic homogeneity. And there were no colonial histories that dominate others, unlike some Western European countries, they do not intervene in the internal affairs of old colonial countries, so there is no sense of responsibility or duty based on historical consciousness, And the fact that there are cases in which nationalism is promoted with a narrow nationalism. I think it is reasonable that the efforts of the EU to accept refugees have no meaning without the solution of root cause of the refugee crisis, which is claimed by the Central and Eastern European countries. These countries have a realistic view claiming that the EUs refugee allocation is not a fundamental solution to the refugee crisis. In particular, Syria, which can be considered a representative country of the refugee crisis, could not be able to make further progress unless a solution is sought, such as a real agreement between the US and Russia, I argue. However, it is also true that it is difficult for the EU to provide a fundamental solution. Because if the EU implement the EU asylum rules it can overburden Southern European states, whereas if the EU ignore these rules they can lay a burden on Northern member states (Trauner, 2016). Because of the acute conflict of interests within the EU member states over the refugee issue and the weakening of the leadership of the main member states, we cannot be sure whether the Schengen Treaty presupposes free movement in the region can be maintained as it is now, or it will bring new challenges to integration and maintenance. This is the reason we all need to work together to solve the more fundamental causes of ethical issues. Bibliography UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Handbook and Guidelines on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, December 2011, HCR/1P/4/ENG/REV. 3, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4f33c8d92.html https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/germany/unemployment-rate http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesgraphs.shtml?3g3 http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/09/europe/germany-upper-limit-refugees/index.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34131911 https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/18/refugee-crisis-hungary-builds-border-fence-with-croatia-live-updates#block-55fbf9b1e4b0c46d88e03183 Scipioni, Marco. 2017. ‘Failing forward in EU migration policy? EU integration after the 2015 asylum and migration crisis’, Journal of European Public Policy, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2017.1325920 Trauner, F. 2016. ‘Asylum policy: the EU’s ‘crises’ and the looming policy regime failure’, Journal of European Integration 38:3, pp.311-325. Sardelic, Julija, The Western Balkan Route: A New Form of Forced Migration Governance in Europe? https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-western-balkan-route-a-new-form-of-forced-migration-governance-in-europe/ The Economist, 2015. â€Å"More vacancies than visitors: Eastern Europe may not like refugees but needs them more than other countries†, https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21665031-eastern-europe-may-not-refugees-needs-them-more-other-countries-more-vacancies The UN Refugee Agency, 2015m â€Å"UNHCR chief issues key guidelines for dealing with Europe’s refugee crisis†, http://www.unhcr.org/55e9793b6.html   ; Amnesty International, (2015), â€Å"Europe’s response: Face-saving not a life-saving operation† https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/04/face-saving-not-a-lifesaving-operation Riley M. Townsend, European Migrant Crisis (NY: Lulu.com of Lulu press Inc., 2015), pp. 1-9. Jess McHugh, â€Å"How the EU Migrant Crisis is Fueling Right-Wing Politicians and Refugee Policies in Europe†, International Business Times (august 27, 2015) Christof Roos and Natascha Zaun, â€Å"The global economic crisis as a critical juncture? The crisis’s impact on migration movement and policies in Europe and the US.†, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42-10 (July, 2016), pp. 1579-1589. UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency, Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b66c2aa10.pdf   ; http://www.unhcr.or.kr/unhcr/html/001/001001001002.html The Independent, â€Å"Aylan Kurdi: Syrian boy’s family took deadly voyage after Canada refused refugee application† http://www.indepedent.co.uk/news/world/europe/aylan-syrian-boys-family-took-deadly-voyage-after-canada-refused-refugee-application-10483968.html    Access to European Union Law, â€Å"The Schengen acquis†Ã‚   http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:42000A0922(01)    Access to European Union Law, â€Å"REGULATION (EU) No 604/2013† As Known As â€Å"Dublin Regulation†,http://eur-lexeuropa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/;jsessionid=jHNITp3HLjpw8mqGbQSpZh1VWpjCyVQq14Hgcztw4pbfSQZffnrn!557467765?uri=CELEX:32013E0604    BBC news, â€Å"Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts† http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34131911; Eurostat, â€Å"Migration and migrant population statistics† http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics [1] The highest number of first time asylum applicants in the third quarter of 2017 was registered in Germany (with over 46 000 first time applicants, or 28 % of all applicants in the EU Member States). (Asylum quarterly report, 2017) [2] However, the open-door migration policy of Angela Merkel seems to be slightly changed to aim for a cap on Germanys refugee intake, opposed to her previous rejections. (CNN, 2017) http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/09/europe/germany-upper-limit-refugees/index.html [3] UN, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2017 Revision, can be seen here: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesgraphs.shtml?3g3 [4] Grierson and Weaver, Croatia moves refugees to Hungarian border as it happened, The Guardian, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/18/refugee-crisis-hungary-builds-border-fence-with-croatia-live-updates#block-55fbf9b1e4b0c46d88e03183 [5]   Independent, â€Å"Refugee crisis: Eastern Europe opposes Angela Merkel’s policy on asylum seekers†, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-eastern-europe –opposes-angela-merkel-s-policy-on-asylum-seekers-a6877916.html.; DW, â€Å"Visegrad Group opposes Germanys refugee policy†, http://www.dw.com/en/visegrad-group-opposes-germanys-refugee-policy/a-19048816. [6] Radio Praha. Visegrad leaders debate back-up plan for migrant crisis. http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/visegrad-leaders-debateback-up-plan- for-migrant-crisis. [7] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/09/balkans-refugee-route-closed-say-european-leaders

The Cowardly Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter:   The Cowardly and Weak Dimmesdale    In the book The Scarlet Letter, the character Reverend Dimmesdale, a very religious man, committed adultery, which was a sin in the Puritan community. Of course, this sin could not be committed alone. His partner was Hester Prynne. Hester was caught with the sinning only because she had a child named Pearl. Dimmesdale was broken down by Roger Chillinsworth, Hester Prynne’s real husband, and by his own self-guilt. Dimmesdale would later confess his sin and die on the scaffold. Dimmesdale was well known by the community and was looked up to by many religious people. But underneath his religious mask he is actually the worst sinner of them all. His sin was one of the greatest sins in a Puritan community. The sin would eat him alive from the inside out causing him to become weaker and weaker, until he could not stand it anymore. In a last show of strength he announces his sin to the world, but dies soon afterwards. In the beginning Dimmesdale is a weak, reserved man. Because of hi s sin his health regresses more and more as the book goes on, yet he tries to hide his sin beneath a religious mask. By the end of the book he comes forth and tells the truth, but because he had hidden the sin for so long he is unable to survive. Dimmesdale also adds suspense to the novel to keep the reader more interested in what Reverend Dimmesdale is hiding and his hidden secrets. Therefore Dimmesdale’s sin is the key focus of the book to keep the reader interested. Dimmesdale tries to cover up his sin by preaching to the town and becoming more committed to his preachings, but this only makes him feel guiltier. In the beginning of the story, Dimmesdale is described by these words; â€Å"His eloquence and religious fervor had already given earnest of high eminence in his profession.†(Hawthorne,44). This proves that the people of the town looked up to him because he acted very religious and he was the last person that anyone expected to sin. This is the reason that it was so hard for him to come out and tell the people the truth. Dimmesdale often tried to tell the people in a roundabout way when he said â€Å"†¦though he (Dimmesdale) were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.

Alienation Essay

Metamorphosis is a change in physical form or structure. In The Metamorphosis, there is a literal change in the protagonist, Gregor Samsa’s, physical form from a man to an insect. This metamorphosis brings to light one of the major themes in the novel; the theme of alienation. Today’s society demands conformity to its norms and any individual who refuses to accept these faces alienation. Such is the fate of Gregor in the story. Before Gregor’s metamorphosis, he is alienated from his job, humanity, his family, and even his body. The metamorphosis, however, takes the alienation to a different plane. In the story, Gregor’s job precipitates his alienation from society, his family, and himself. Gregor’s initial alienation is from his physical body and as the story progresses we find that Gregor’s life as an insect is not much different from his life as a human. From the first few paragraphs we get the impression that Gregor’s metamorphosis has only transformed him from one body to a less convenient one. He does not seem frazzled by his transformation, but explores his new body and tries to work with it. He observes his â€Å"numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk† (Kafka, 494), he feels a â€Å"dull ache he had never experienced before† (495), and he discovers a place on his body that he cannot itch. Gregor does not seem to have any emotional change due to this transformation. This is evident when he wakes up after his transformation and is annoyed that he cannot go to sleep because he cannot turn onto his right side. He also thinks about how he can no longer attend work.

Task 3 A Essay Example

Task 3 A Essay Example Task 3 A Essay Task 3 A Essay Task 3 A Name: Course: Date: Task 3A Relationship between Drug Abuse and Academic Performance in the United States of America Quantitative Research Plan Drug abuse can be defined as the destructive constant use of one or more substances leading to problems such as changes in disposition that cause spontaneous behavior. This intake of drugs may be for medical purposes or mental stimulation. Prescriptive drugs are abused only when used for other purposes other than what they were intended or in disparity with the required dosage. Some of the most commonly abused drugs include cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and alcohol. There has been a significant rise in the number of students involved in drug abuse. This figure is set to rise in future if measures are not taken to curb this emerging trend in schools. Many students are either unaware of the consequences of drug abuse or have depreciated to the level of addiction. It is not clear why these students are abusing drugs at such an alarming rate yet the results are detrimental not just to their health but to their performance at school. These youngsters are initiated into drug use at an early age mostly in their teens. It could be attributed to having friends or acquaintances that use drugs, coming from dysfunctional families, or just the desire to experiment. These drugs serve the purpose of entertainment through mental stimulation, enhancement of stamina, done by students engaging in sports or a way of fitting into a certain clique. Hypothesis There is a relationship between drug abuse and academic performance in the United States of America. Null Hypothesis: There is no relationship between drug abuse and academic performance in the United States of America. Literature Review This is a common trend in among American students. The effects of abusing drugs vary with the kind of drug being used. However, some are common to all of them such as alterations in brain functioning, emotional problems such as depression, and behavioral problems. The tendency to engage in risky sexual behavior has affected girls in that they get unwanted pregnancies and they eventually have to drop out of school. Their chance of contracting sexually transmitted illnesses also increases. The worst of it is gradually getting addicted. Bearing this in mind, this research sets out to investigate the extent to which students abuse drugs and how it affects their academic performance. This way, a solution to the problem could be arrived at. Findings The study conducted revealed the reasons for drug abuse among students. It showed that they engage in it due to problems at home, stress caused by difficulty understanding the school curriculum, boredom and pressure from friends. This affects their schoolwork negatively through various ways. For instance, they confessed to skipping classes, not doing their assignments, engaging in bad behavior that got them suspended from school. This has a direct effect on their performance. They lose attention and can therefore not focus on their schoolwork and eventually achieve poor grades. Conclusion From the findings, we can tell that indeed there is a relationship between drug abuse and academic performance. All the above facts point to the reality that students who abuse drugs perform poorly than those who do not. This is because of the effects of the drugs on their ability to function properly. When their minds are stimulated by the drugs, their brain functionality decreases and they can no longer pay relevant attention to their academics. The students who drop out of school because of abusing drugs miss out entirely on education. Therefore, it is important that a solution for this problem be found quickly to prevent further damage.

The Environmental Impact of Slash and Burn Agriculture

The Environmental Impact of Slash and Burn Agriculture Slash and burn agriculture- also known as swidden or shifting agriculture- is a traditional method of tending domesticated crops that involves the rotation of several plots of land in a planting cycle. The farmer plants crops in a field for one or two seasons  and then lets the field lie fallow for several seasons. In the meantime, the farmer shifts to a field that has lain fallow for several years  and removes the vegetation by cutting it down and burning it- hence the name slash and burn. The ash from the burned vegetation adds another layer of nutrients to the soil, and that, along with the time resting, allows the soil to regenerate. The Best Conditions for Slash and Burn Agriculture Slash and burn agriculture  works best in low-intensity  farming situations when the farmer has plenty of land that he or she can afford to let lay fallow, and it works best when crops are rotated to assist in restoring the nutrients. It has also been documented in societies where people maintain a very broad diversity of food generation; that is, where people also hunt game, fish, and gather wild foods. Environmental Effects of Slash and Burn Since the 1970s or so, swidden agriculture has been described as both a bad practice, resulting in the progressive destruction of natural forests, and an excellent practice, as a refined method of forest preservation and guardianship. A recent study conducted on historical swidden agriculture in Indonesia (Henley 2011) documented the historical attitudes of scholars towards slash and burn and then tested the assumptions based on more than a century of slash and burn agriculture. Henley discovered that the reality is that swidden agriculture can add to deforestation of regions  if the maturing age of the removed trees is much longer than the fallow period used by the swidden agriculturalists. For example, if a swidden rotation is between 5 and 8 years, and the rainforest trees have a 200-700 year cultivation cycle, then slash and burn represents one of what may be several elements resulting in deforestation. Slash and burn is a useful technique in some environments, but not in all. A  special issue of Human Ecology  suggests that the creation of global markets is pushing farmers to replace their swidden plots with permanent fields. Alternatively, when farmers have access to off-farm income, swidden agriculture is maintained as a complement to food security (see Vliet et al. for a summary). Sources Blakeslee DJ. 1993. Modeling the abandonment of the Central Plains: Radiocarbon dates and the origin of the Initial Coalescent. Memoir 27, Plains Anthropologist 38(145):199-214. Drucker P, and Fox JW. 1982. Swidden didn make all that midden: The search for ancient Mayan agronomies. Journal of Anthropological Research 38(2):179-183. Emanuelsson M, and Segerstrom U. 2002. Medieval slash-and-burn cultivation: Strategic or adapted land use in the Swedish mining district? Environment and History 8:173-196. Grave P, and Kealhofer L. 1999. Assessing bioturbation in archaeological sediments using soil morphology and phytolith analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 26:1239-1248. Henley D. 2011. Swidden Farming as an Agent of Environmental Change: Ecological Myth and Historical Reality in Indonesia. Environment and History 17:525-554. Leach HM. 1999. Intensification in the Pacific: A critique of the archaeological criteria and their applications. Current Anthropology 40(3):311-339. Mertz, Ole. Swidden Change in Southeast Asia: Understanding Causes and Consequences. Human Ecology, Christine Padoch, Jefferson Fox, et al., Vol. 37, No. 3, JSTOR, June 2009. Nakai, Shinsuke. Analysis of Pig Consumption by Smallholders in a Hillside Swidden Agriculture Society of Northern Thailand. Human Ecology 37, ResearchGate, August 2009. Reyes-Garcà ­a, Victoria. Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Crop Diversity in Swidden Fields: A Study in a Native Amazonian Society. Vincent Vadez, Neus Martà ­ Sanz, Human Ecology 36, ResearchGate, August 2008. Scarry CM. 2008. Crop Husbandry Practices in North America’s Eastern Woodlands. In: Reitz EJ, Scudder SJ, and Scarry CM, editors. Case Studies in Environmental Archaeology: Springer New York. p 391-404.

German Civilization and Expressionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

German Civilization and Expressionism - Essay Example The essay "German Civilization and Expressionism " will examine the evolution of the Expressionist movement in film, and how this influence has impacted the world in terms of visual arts. As the film attracted a large audience in the U.S. and France, it became imperative to comprehend the nature of the Expressionist movement that had taken over Germany. It became clear that film could only be classified as art if the film’s image could be differentiated from pragmatic realism. Expressionism in film has the uncanny ability to rework and alter realism or reality. This is what the German film did in the 1920s, enabling the film industry to construct and create an emblematic world, which was completely separated from what is seen in everyday life. The influential power of the film, and as such the Expressionist movement, was brought out in the non-repetition of the world as seen every day. The general characteristics of Expressionism can be used to relate to Wiene’s film, w hich came at a time when Germany had already faced defeat during the First World War. It was at a time when the region was faced with poverty, discord, and anger among its people. Expressionism was used as a means to describe the mentality that most people had about the region. The notable themes of horror, insanity, and death in the film; The Cabinet of Caligari, are just but examples of the way the film was influential in the evolution of film at that point in Germany’s history. There is a perverted and warped perception of the world.

Does the EU have negative impacts on small states in the EU Does it Research Paper - 1

Does the EU have negative impacts on small states in the EU Does it fringe them The divide between the north and the south - Research Paper Example Additionally, it is hard to identify the similarities among the foreign policies of these small states. On the other hand, it is a challenge to enhance the influential factor on their international relations. It comes to a point that we need to plan and strategize what we know and what we need know to identify and understand the challenges facing the small states. This article confirms such doubts by giving answers to four questions: what is a small state according to the European Union? What is the behavior of a small state in the European state? What are challenges facing the small states in the European Union? What are the general effects of European Union on the small states in the European Union? This paper adopts the thesis statement that European developments have brought out many alterations on small states. However, these alterations occur in both positive and negative measures. Smaller states are in consideration because their economic development happens to less than compared to other bigger states such as Britain and France. Additionally, the population level in small states happen to be low than the bigger states. In most cases, such small states have less influence on the decisions made by European Union. Such happenings happen to be in existence because decisions made by European Union during different summits affect these small states in general. For example, the regulations set to regulate the interest levels have affected the small states both positively and negatively. This research is beneficial since it initiates better understanding on the policies affecting small states either positively or negatively. Additionally, this research identifies the major reasons as to why such small states are affected by the policy developments made by European Union. In general, the research will offer differential weight on the benefits and effects of policy development by the European Union to the small states. The relevant question at hand