The Drug Crime Relationship

There is no question that drugs and crime are related, however difficulty stands when trying to establish a causal connection between the two. According to Ronald Akers, ‘compared to the abstaining teenager, the drinking, smoking and drug taking teen is much more likely to be getting into fights, stealing, hurting other people and committing other delinquencies’ (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990).At a surface level, drugs and crime are linked as it is a criminal offence to possess certain substances unlawfully, however when looking deeper, where drugs are said to cause, influence or be associated with offending behaviour the subject becomes quite unclear. Three major models exist that examine the drugs-crime link and will be discussed thoroughly throughout this essay. Firstly is the model that suggests drug use leads to crime and offending behaviour.It offers the explanation that drug-users are enslaved, or behaving in ways which satisfy the craving which very often leads t o participating in criminal behaviour. A second model explains that crime leads to drug use, and the third that drug use and crimes have a common aetiology. Throughout this essay these models will be examined deeply in order to try and best understand the relationship between drug use and offending behaviour. The idea that drug use leads to crime is by far the most believed and most popular idea out of the three.The reasons for this may lie in its heavy belief from the media and the government. It is sometimes represented as a direct causal effect and sometimes as just an association. There does stand much evidence in support of this theory, however no research identifies a direct causal link which will be noted later. One study carried out in this field gave the police power to perform drug tests on detainees in police custody and gave the courts the power to order the drug testing of offenders under the supervision of the probation service.In total they carried out a collective of 1,835 tests and found positive results in 63% of those tested in London, 58% of those tested in Nottingham and 47% of those tested in Strafford and Cannock. For those on probation over half tested positive ( Mallender et al. 2002, citied in Bean 2008). While support stands for this view, variations exist in the way drug use is said to cause crime.Three broad categories exist, firstly the psychopharmacological explanations, secondly the economic explanations and thirdly the drug-lifestyle explanation. Firstly the psychopharmacological explanations consider the effects of the drug chemicals have upon the human organism and what the behavioural outcomes may be. For example, the psychopharmacological model says that drugs cause violence because of their direct effects, as an effect users become impatient, irritable, energetic and irrational often leading to criminal behaviour.Goldstein (1985) believes the psychopharmacological model to be a direct effect model and argues that ‘so me individuals, as a result of short or long term ingestion of specific substances, may become excitable, irrational, and may exhibit violent behaviour’. Brochu (2001) claims that many drugs ‘act on specific areas of the nervous system, including the frontal lobe and the limbic system, where the centres of aggressiveness and impulsiveness are located’ (Bennett and Holloway).While these are considered to be direct and instantaneous effects of drug use, in practice the psychopharmacological effects of drugs on crime are expected to function indirectly. Parker and Auerhahn (1998) stress from their research the overwhelming importance of the context in the relationship between substance use and violent behaviour, and as MacCoun et al (2002) claim ‘it may be that no drug is sufficient to produce aggression in isolation from psychological and situational moderators. ’ (Bennett and Holloway).The second variation on how ‘drugs cause crime’ is th e economic explanation. This is very often referred to as the economic necessity argument which simply says drug users will commit crime for economic benefit in order to fund their drug addiction. Crimes associated with this explanation are most commonly property crime including theft, shoplifting, burglary and fraud; however there are many links with violent crimes. One explanation for this is that habitual drug users face problems raising cash and therefore prefer to perform street robberies. Baumer et al. 1998) argues that this type of robbery draws cash directly and is more easily perpetrated during the hours of darkness when the streets are less crowded. Cash carries the advantage of being easily concealed and does not have to be exchanged at a discount unlike stolen property. (Bennett and Holloway). The third variation is the drug-lifestyle explanation. The theory focuses in particular, on the relationship between drug-using lifestyles and violence. It offers the explanation t hat drug abusers are living within a community which is more likely to be a violent one when compared to a drug free community.The drug using community is one that is notoriously violent, especially when considering punishments for failing to pay debts, territory disputes and selling adulterated drugs. Other ideas focusing on lifestyle but not on violence consider that drug users often do not participate in the legitimate economy and therefore the likelihood of them becoming involved in criminal activity is increased, and also they would be exposed to situations that encourage crime. (Bennett and Holloway).When considering the idea that crime leads to drug use, the research is scarce by comparison. If crime leads to drugs use there will be no reduction in criminality even with the successful treatment of the drugs problem. If crime leads to drug use then treatment should be directed at reducing the criminality, and the drug problem will be correspondingly reduced (Hammersley et al. 1989, cited in Bean p. 39). Researchers are heavily interested in finding what came first; the drug problem or criminality?Early British studies found that about 50% of heroin addicts were antecedently delinquent but, of course, 50% were not (Bean 1971). However, some researchers are sure they know the truth. Korf et al. (1998) belief that there is empirical support for thinking prior criminal involvement increases one’s chance of getting into drugs, claiming ‘many current addicts have set out on a criminal path at an early age and before their first dose of heroin. These pre-drug criminals turn out to be the group most likely to generate their income from property crime. ’ (Bean p. 9) As noted, there doesn’t stand as much research into this field as the previous (drug use leads to crime) however, the theories which do stand can be divided again roughly into the three same categories, psychopharmacological explanations, economic explanations and criminal l ifestyle explanations. Explaining this idea through psychopharmacological means, researches such as Menard et al (2001) claim that criminals use drugs as a form of chemical recreation to celebrate successful crimes, pretty much in the same way people use alcohol to celebrate a special occasion, (Bennett and Holloway, p. 6). In another way according to the psychopharmacological model, people who have planned crime might turn to drugs to enable themselves to carry out the planned actions. It is possible therefore to say that crime causes drug use because without the drug it is possible the crime wouldn’t have occurred. The economic perspective explanation simply says crime causes drug use through crimes resulting in surplus cash which enable the offenders to buy drugs, unds which would not be available were it not for criminal activity (tim newburn). The criminal lifestyle explanations suggest that a criminal lifestyle tends to involve drug use either via sub-cultural values, t hrough available opportunities or as a result of self-medication. Criminal activity in subcultures provides ‘the content, the reference group and the definitions of a situation that are conclusive to the subsequent involvement in drugs’ (White 1990: 223, Bean p. 39).Evidence for this comes from a small number of studies, quoted by White, where she says the individual is placed in an environment which is supportive of drug use, and it is the desire for sub-cultural status rather than a need for a drug which leads to the individual committing crimes. The available opportunities idea goes hand in hand with the situational crime theory, which states the individual makes a rational choice, essentially weighing up the pros and cons of their actions. If the pros outweigh the cons then the person will display offending behaviour.Supporters of situational crime prevention would say that crime leads to drug taking, and therefore by modifying crime hotspots and the environment, an d by dealing with characteristics and location of suitable targets, drug taking can be reduced. The Third, that drug use and crimes have a common aetiology. This theory rejects strongly the simple causal explanation that drugs use leads to crime or the other, crime leads to drug use claiming the relationship to be far more complex than this.Rather, this suggests a common cause between the two, enforcing arguments that there are other factors involved which help explain both forms of behaviour. ‘Such factors may take various forms including aspects of personality or temperament, aspects of a person’s interpersonal social world (family, friends, peers) or some feature of the social environment in which they live’ (Newburn). These common factors can be grouped into three categories – psychological, social and environmental.Psychological factors can be related to a persons genetics or temperament character. Many explanations focus on the role of psychological factors as distal causes, which are those factors operating in the past that predispose people to act in certain ways. The social factors focus on social relationships and the way in which these may have an effect on crime and drug use. Peer pressure is said to be a major sway on a persons behaviour with regard to crime and illicit drug use. As White (1990) concludes in Bennet and Holloway (2005) ‘Peer group nfluences are the best predictors of delinquency and drug use. ’ With regards to the environmental explanation, factors within the environment are said to play a role in the drug-crime link. The social disorganization theory developed by Shaw and Mckay in 1942 was applied to help try and best explain the drug – crime link in 2000 by White and Gorman, who argue that rates of violence and exposure to drugs was greatest in less affluent areas, densly populated areas, racially segregated areas and those that are composed of a transient population.A rather sociolo gical version of the common cause idea is a variation of the sub-cultural theory which sees drug use as a learned behaviour. Behavioural norms are learned from generation to generation and become internalised, which lead individuals within particular families or social groups to behave in the same manner with the same patterns of offending. To conclude, this essay has highlighted much evidence to suggest that drug use leads to crime, and the opposite, that crime leads to drug use.People who try illicit drugs are more likely to display offending behaviour than others; however there is no persuasive research evidence of a causal link between drug use and offending within the majority of drug users. Much of the research provides conflicting explanations of the topic, however there does stand some common ground. There are no inconsistencies in the idea that drug use might sometimes cause crime and crime may sometimes cause drug use.However, as a general rule, research provides evidence sufficient to establish an association as appose to a direct causal link. This essay has also looked at the idea of a common cause or common aetiology between the relationship between drug use and offending behaviour, which is the idea that other factors such as personality, temperament, family or friends influences play a part in an individual’s lifestyle and choices.

Questions On David Crystal Essay

Questions on David Crystal’s article â€Å"2b or Not 2b?† 1. David Crystal begins his article with some strong â€Å"they say† arguments, quoting writers who argue that text messaging is destroying the English language. At what point in the article do you begin to see that his own perspective is very different from that of such critics? – Crystal’s perspective on texting is displayed many times throughout different paragraphs in the article. In paragraph six Crystal states â€Å"texting has added a new dimension to language use. Although there are some who see texting as a modern tool that is ruining â€Å"proper English†, Crystal sees it as a way for society to enhance thee language skills. 2. Summarize Crystal’s arguments in favor of text messaging. In what ways have the dangers of this phenomenon been vastly overstated, in his opinion? How does he organize his argument? What are his main points, and what kinds of support does he offer? – Most arguments state that text abbreviations have replaced proper English. On the other hand, Crystal states that these abbreviations go back to centuries. For example †IOU goes back to 1618† A book written by Eric Partritch in 1942 called â€Å" Dictionary of Abbreviations† contained sms examples and was published 50 years before texting. 3. Crystal wrote this article for a British newspaper read primarily by adults. What might he have done differently if the piece had been for, say, an audience of middle or high school students? – If Crystal’s audience were middle school students he might have written this article from there point of view . Crystal would most likely include more examples that could relate to them. Also, Crystal could include how texting can help with school and be an asset rather than a distraction. 4. Reread the two text message poems in the article. Which one do you prefer? In what ways do these poems support his argument? – The second poem supports Crystal’s argument, because the author abbreviated words and replaced letters with numbers just as most people who text do. Although the author has written the poem differently the reader is still  able to interpret the poem and the words makes sense.

Health and Social Care – Unit 32

Unit 32 Factors affecting growth and repair M1 In this assignment I am going to explain the factors that might affect the growth and repair of bones. There are many different factors that can affect the growth and repair of the bones I am going to explore 4 factors and these are; * Exercise: Doing regular exercise helps build the muscle’s in the body, but it also helps maintain the bones and increase the bones strength. Exercise causes the muscle to contract against the bone. This action then stresses or also stimulates the bone and the bone will start to become stronger and denser.When people think of exercise they think of continuously but even walking and movement around the day can help to strengthen the bones. Starting from a younger age with exercise will help the bones to get stronger as the person gets older and there bones will gain strength. The best exercise for the bones is the weight-bearing kind, which forces the bones to work against gravity. Certain cells calle d osteoblasts constantly bring calcium into bones to make them stronger and osteoclasts take calcium from bones. Exercise increases the rate that osteoblasts strengthen bones. Inactivity weakens the bones.So any exercise that places force on a bone will strengthen the bone. Most people achieve their peak bone mass in their 30s. After that, the strength and density of bones begins to decline. Exercising slows the process of decline and helps prevent fractures and osteoporosis. * Diet: One of the key nutrients that the body needs for bone growth and development is calcium, this is normally found in different foods and especially in milk. It is important that calcium is took in a diet because is not it can lead to the bones being weaker and can be prone to break more easily. many other important functions.Because calcium has so many important jobs, it’s important to get enough of it in your diet. The amount of calcium you need depends on a number of different factors, including your age. However, one thing’s true for everyone: you and your bones will benefit from eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job. Refrences http://www. drmirkin. com/joints/bones_exercise. html http://www. google. co. uk/imgres? q=exercise+in+bones http://www. google. co. uk/imgres? q=calcium+bones

Analyzing a Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analyzing a Poem - Essay Example Thus, the basic journey of the poem can be considered to be that of coming of age of the adolescent as they move from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. It can also be considered a poem of discovery as the person discovers their own voice. In either case, the speaker of the poem takes on an exterior role, speaking to the actor rather than taking part in the action itself yet still having a knowledge of the events that have occurred. Within the poem, it is suggested that the person must have tried to leave before but couldn’t. This is heard in the voices crying out and the trembling of the house, putting in mind the way that older people tend to live vicariously through their children. The poet also indicates that â€Å"it was already late / enough, and a wild night, / and the road full of fallen / branches and stones† (19-22). The traveler has taken the advice that was shouted out before, gaining them nothing but the ability to recognize bad advice when they hear it. The road is not sunny and promising because of the time wasted, they have missed some of their opportunities. However, this time they were able to break through the boundaries that kept them home before, prompting the speaker to recount what the traveler has overcome and providing a comforting, reassuring voice that the traveler has done the right thing for themselves. The poem is not divided along a simple rhyme scheme pattern or even along structured metrical rhythm. Instead, its first two divisions are indicated by the words â€Å"you knew what you had to do,† appearing in the first lines as well as line 13. In the first of these sections, the poet illustrates the clinging nature of the people of the house. They cling to the traveler through guilt and through pity. The second section talks about the desperate emotional struggle of the traveler in trying to take his leave. While the third section ends with the repetition of the key phrase

Political Comic Strip & Character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political Comic Strip & Character - Essay Example The political comic strip was therefore effective in relaying an intended message using the rhetorical element of ethos, or character. As shown, the speaker in the comic strip was noted to be a president due to the visual image of the presidential seal on the podium. The readers could in fact have other characters of a president in mind, were in not for the comic strip to have been printed and published during the helm of President Obama’s term. As a president of the United States, definitely, the credibility, reliability and trustworthiness of the person had been firmly established being the topmost elected political figure. As such, the argument in the strip focused on relaying that being the president, the only dilemma of a serious economic situation, such as government spending, is the perceived reluctance of the people to spend. The message was clear, straightforward and humorous and provided the needed appeal to a wider range of audience. Webpage on Ellen DeGeneres The b iographical webpage selected was biography.com and the famous person chosen for the discussion is Ellen DeGeneres, one of the most viewed television talk show hosts in the United States in contemporary times. The objective of this portion is to evaluate how the webpage makes an argument about the subject?s character. First, after searching for the name of Ellen DeGeneres from biography.com, her profile is immediately accessed. Viewers could see her photo at the left side portion of the screen, and under the photo were quick facts such as name, occupation, birthdate, education, place of birth and even her zodiac sign. Following that rundown of short personal information, the label ‘BEST KNOWN FOR’ â€Å"Ellen DeGeneres is one of America’s most well-known comedians and talk show hosts, also serving as a prominent gay/lesbian role model† (Ellen DeGeneres.biography, 2013, p. 1) was disclosed. From this information alone, viewers who could have not known DeGene res could already be provided with an accurate overview of what she represents. The most important adjectives or words that establish the person include well-known comedian, talk show host, and gay/lesbian role model. In the middle portion of the page, the topmost portion was reserved for viewers who might opt to see a video of Ellen. Below this portion, the following headings and detailed discussions were presented in the following order: synopsis, early life, stand-up comedy, Ellen: the Sitcom, Ellen: the Talk Show, and personal life; of which the whole information are contained in two pages. From the information that are presented in this webpage, viewers are provided with enough contents that could effectively establish the character of a person. Although one has known Ellen DeGeneres from being a regular viewer of her television show, some information were new and assisted in confirming that Ellen was indeed funny, talented and has a kind and sincere heart. Her closing remarks in her Ellen: the Talk Show: ‘be kind to one another’ aptly embodies her character. Likewise, by disclosing that she was a lesbian, the brief historical information on her life and specifically at the time when she revealed this homosexuality in public could be perceived as challenging; yet, necessary to provide a more accurate image of her sexuality. Eventually, the revelation paid off since from then, her

Surface Structure Space Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Surface Structure Space - Essay Example Thus, Andrew Bolton argued that â€Å"all clothes have social, psychological and physical function†. According to Entwistle (2003, pg 93), there is a strong relationship between dress and body. Basically, dress that is inform of materials such as fabric, jewelry, paint or even feathers closely relate with the body or flesh at all times. Moreover, the body is affected by choice of materials to wear. For instance, some individuals prefer to dress in leather instead of silk, some choose Lycra instead of cotton among other preferences, which they presume match with their bodies well. Notably, the choice of dress for individuals influences their looks and feelings. According to Kornblum & Smith (2011, pg 51), Umberto Eco gives a perfect example about the existing relationship between dress and body. Eco argues that having been used to dressing in Jeans, it becomes very uncomfortable since they pinch and restrict movements even after losing weight thus leading to â€Å"epidermic self awareness†. As a result, Eco has become conversant with the current dress code and as such there h as been strong connection between the lower body and the external world. In light of this, dress could then be described as a form of â€Å"human epidermis† (Entwistle, 2003, pg 93). Going by the fact that human beings do not form self awareness, it is argued that dress forms a presumed second skin, which in most cases do not demonstrate consciousness. Nevertheless, the consciousness of dress is increased when something about it goes amiss. For instance, the consciousness of dress could be influenced by the possibility of dressing in clothes that are not fitting and/or those that do not fit a given occasion. In this regard, some individuals might dress casually when they are expected to be formal thus increasing individuals’ consciousness. Besides, Kornblum &

Work Force Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Work Force Diversity - Essay Example Workforce diversity can be defined as the workforce of an organization that is made up of people from different cultural and demographical backgrounds. Diversity can be also on the basis of human qualities. However from the perspective of an individual diversity can be in terms of ethnicity, race, gender, age, or anything related to physical abilities. Although diversity acts as a key competitive advantage to the organizations, sometimes it can act as a concern. For example diversity in the form of working generation is a matter of concern for many organizations. There are four generations that work side by side in an organization, and each group has some different expectations and diversified mindset. Therefore to create an environment where all the groups get fitted is certainly a challenge for the organizations. As human being enters the 21st century, diversity in workforce has become crucial in a business venture. In this age of information technology, the most valuable asset of the organization is its workforce. The increasing globalization has made people to interact more among themselves as well as from the people of different beliefs, locations and cultural backgrounds. People are no longer working in an inward-looking market, but they work in a global market place. There are competitions from almost every part of the world. Hence for this principal reason organizations need diversity in their workforce. It has also become a way to be more innovative and also open to amendments.

Hume's critique of the concept of natural rights. How far do you agree Essay

Hume's critique of the concept of natural rights. How far do you agree with this critique - Essay Example However much Hume is critical of Locke's notion of what is natural, there is much incorporated in the view that could essentially be described as Lockean. Finally, this analysis will close with an analysis of literature which is critical of Hume's critique. The question will be asked as to whether or not, Hume is not essentially setting up a straw man as he criticises Locke? Is Hume doing Locke justice will be a question examined in the closing of the analysis? Finally, this analysis will close by arguing that the radical scepticism of knowing, when implied to the self demonstrates to am impossible situation. Where Locke believed that the self was substance with attributes, Hume maintained because of his scepticism that it could not be known at all. That is the logical outcome of his logic, and the closing of this paper will examine why that it is so. Whether it is Hume discussing Locke, or just Locke discussing something like private property one has to understand what Locke argued to be a natural right. Moreover, to understand what Hume understood by natuin more detail, his particular views on private property when he criticized Locke on this and a number of different areas connected to the our relationship to to the external world. One of the interesting aspects of Locke’s view on private property. ... [Locke 21]. As we shall see for Hume, this is point of criticism which is often described in terms of the distinction between what 'ought' to be versus what is? The state of nature is in practise for Locke, unstable in its essence, and this follows from his claim that humans, unless coerced, often infringe on the natural rights of others. [Locke 10] It is soon apparent in the Second Treatise, that in order that humans or a community enjoy their natural rights, and for the sake of creating stability, they must join together and form a ‘social contract’. The function or the purpose of this contract, is to form a civil society in which humans will maintain their natural rights, within a government that has been established to enforce laws for the end of protecting those rights, and in turn, to adjudicate or legislate disputes. This law of nature gives humans their natural rights, and within this, we all have a right to life and a right to some liberty, as long, however as o ur actions do not infringe upon the natural rights of others: â€Å"the state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions† [Locke 9]. Before the creation of civil society, or in the state of nature, ma has a right to amass or acquire private property only in so far he has a use for it. For example, a man has a right to as much food as his family might need, but he has no right to a surplus of food which might perhaps spoil. Thus, the way in which problems are resolved in a community of equals, is that a ruler serves the purpose or the function of providing the

Social Psychology - Prejudice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Psychology - Prejudice - Essay Example Finally, this paper shall also suggest ways in order to remedy this issue or situation. Social psychologists have attempted to explain prejudice by using various theories. One of the main theories they have used is the theory of innate tendency. This theory basically explains that people are borne with the innate quality of gravitating or liking people who are like them and of disliking or hating other people who are not like him (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Through the theory of self-love, social psychologists explain how people tend to love themselves. Therefore people are often disgusted by other people who are different from them (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Social psychologists also point out that the ethnocentric theory is all about the belief that one’s group is moral, right, and rational – and that other cultures are inferior (Sociology Index, 2009). In judging other cultures or beliefs, these individuals tend to base their judgments on their standards – without attempting to understand the perspectives of their members. In yet another theory, the psycho-analytic theory â€Å"considers human experience to be root cause of prejudice† (Sharma & Sharma, 1997. The experiences which reflect favorable outcomes affect the person’s behavior in relation to similar future experiences. Unfavorable experiences also manifest and affect the overall behavior of a person in relation to similar future experiences (Sharma & Sharma, 1997). Prejudices in interracial experiences in Singapore affect the occurrence and prevalence of interracial marriages. This interracial prejudice has affected them to a point where marriages between ethnic lines has not happened often (Country Data, 1989). From 1954 to 1984, rates of marriages between ethnic divides occurred at 5 to 6 percent of all marriages (Country Data, 1989). In considering the innate tendency theory, the

The smartest guy in the room - the enron documentary Essay

The smartest guy in the room - the enron documentary - Essay Example Precisely, the company’s top management inflated the stock prices and amassed overwhelming capital investments from the shareholders while the company was running into bankruptcy. After the company collapsed, Enron’s shareholders were subjected to reduced per capita income, which further influenced a reduction in the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In order to prevent the occurrence of inflated stock prices that in turn influenced shareholders to invest in fraudulent companies, the government should issue strict regulations. The importance of this approach is to ensure that the business environment is informed about every company’s financial prospectus, statement of profits and losses, and its overall performances in the market (322). Eventually, every company will only present actual information to the market and the shareholders’ responses will in turn affect increase or decrease in the stocks’ prices. Considering such a regulation is vital towards financial development and contentedness of the investors (325). This will serve for the benefit of the country’s economic environment since corruption and fraudulent company practices will be diminished. Enron’s top management is depicted in the movie as a group driven by the greed to earn and resuscitate the company to a profitable position. Therefore, the company’s accounting department embarks on the use of the â€Å"mark-to-market† accounting tactic that aims at deceiving the investors’ population to acknowledge its performance through the highlighted bogus profits (Moeller 34). This accounting tactic enabled the company to forecast on its probable profits in a ten-year period and establish them on their current profit statement as though the Enron had made them. The tactic is fraudulent and should not be used in business organizations. Enron’s CEO Mr. Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay are depicted in

Religious discrimination in Lebanon Speech or Presentation

Religious discrimination in Lebanon - Speech or Presentation Example However despite the country’s diversity in religious factions, it has not been a beautiful scene in in the country’s development over the years due to discrimination based and biased on religious lines (HRW). The discrimination based on religious factions has been evident in the Lebanese political and social structures of the country. Political landscape carries more weight for wrangles based on the very religious discrimination because every faction wants the bigger piece of the cake of dominance. It can be traced back to the 1860 conflict between Maronites and the Druze to the old Lebanese civil war of 1975-1990 which was as a result of the conflict between the Muslims and the Christians. In the early 19th century around the wake of World War II Lebanese political structure was designed in a way it recognized a historic agreement amongst the Lebanese leaders that political goodwill will be divided according to positions in the governmental structure in agreed fair proportions for the Christians and Muslims (Khalaf 2013, p.43). This particular political concept in the mid-1970s appeared to be losing ground resulting to â€Å"hell breaks loose† a civil war that was seen to be a sort of competition for power between the majority Muslims and the minority ruling Christians. Before the old Lebanese civil war that was in every way a struggle between the Sunni Islam and the Christians was a Druze and Maronite (Christians) conflict (Khalaf 2013, p.65). The conflict happened in the mid 18nth century in the north of Mount Lebanon area entailing the rebellion of Christians Maronites peasants against the Druze lords that spread to the south and as a result more than 20,000 Christians were killed, 370 Christian villages destroyed and a large number of churches destroyed (Sisk 2011, p.109). Maronite peasants were against the heavy taxes and feudal practices

Soviet Union Essay Example for Free

Soviet Union Essay Name_____________________________________________ Unit Four: Ethnicity 1. Define ethnicity:_____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ 3. List the four ethnicities mentioned in your text and list their regional location and percentage of the U.S. population: Ethnicity Region % in U.S. 4. List two cities where African Americans are concentrated and give the percentage of population they make up in these cities: 4.a._________________________________________________________________________________ 4.b.__________________________________________________________________________________ 5. List three cities where Hispanics are concentrated and give the percentage of population they make up in these cities: 5.a._________________________________________________________________________________ 5.b.__________________________________________________________________________________ 5.c._________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Name and describe three major migration patterns of African-Americans that have shaped their current distribution in the U. S: 6.a._________________________________________________________________________________ 6.b.__________________________________________________________________________________ 6.c._________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Contrast ethnicity and

Youtube as Social Media and Marketing Tools

Youtube as Social Media and Marketing Tools Introduction Social Media is a word used to illustrate Internet-based applications that facilitate consumers share opinions, wisdom, experiences, and viewpoints. Social media are of many forms, examples are content communities (e.g., YouTube), social networking sites or blogs (e.g., Facebook), and joint projects (e.g., Wikipedia). All such applications content has been created, updated and maintained by individual internet users and further delivered to new users, which is often provided free of charge in a philanthropic way. Such attributes discern the social media from conventional web pages, like www.google.com or www.yahoo.com, which are supervised often by companies for a marketable purpose. By incorporating social media tools into their marketing strategy, marketers can gain benefits from it: they get real-time opinion on existing products or new ideas/concepts regarding products, they get chance to build community of consumers about their products, services or brand, leverage customer self services, and integrate customers indirectly to develop their product strategies in future. The most alluring reality of all is that radio took 38 years to reach 50 million users, television took 13 years to capture users, 4 years internet, and iPod took 3 years, Facebook capture 100 million users only in less than 9 months. This clarifies the importance of social media and its immensity and its boundaries arent only limited for younger generations. In fact according to Socialnomics, the fastest rising fragment is 55-65 years old female on Facebook. With this emergent of people and easy access, brands have begun become conscious to acquire the existed potential of Social media in order to reach the users. According to Socialnomics again, 25% of the search results are links to user-generated content for the Worlds top 20 brands, 34% opinions about predicts and brands are related with bloggers post. In study conducted by PR firm Burson Marsteller, pointed out that in the Fortune 500 list he observed 100 largest companies, in which 79% use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or business blogs to correspond with clients and other stakeholders. It is a worldwide statistics. According to these 100 largest companies use 50% YouTube channels as social media tool. With the emergence of social media, it shifts business online as social media marketing has created its own niche in the business world. Great attention requires by companies to respond and penetrate in this web era more than ever. They cant entirely rely on traditional marketing techniques like gleaming press releases or flashy ad campaigns. Soren Gordgamer, author of Wisdom 2.0, puts it. He states companies now face a clear choice: wall themselves in and become increasingly controlled and hidden, or use social media and other means to reveal their human side, welcome transparency and forge new relationships with their customers. The old game is undoubtedly over, and the question now is what can business do to transition and succeed in this new era? It is pretty understandable that social media marketing has become entirely a new marketing field. (http://www.sociableblog.com/2008/02/11/why-people-use-social-media/) Social media has emerged innately from users and thus inherently personal. The users endow with personal information and ideas, interact with other users, respond to them, do sharing and form a social media interaction. Due to all these benefits social media marketing comes to light. By using social media marketers want to identify who are the users and what are their preferences. With blooming worldwide communication and technologies social media sites are deemed as significant stage for exchange. Marketers or companies squeeze ideas nearby information like connectivity, word of mouth, promotion of quality, and trust of those deemed trustworthy. Users find social media interesting due to having immense information, timely and informative; such attributes make social media an important factor for marketers. YouTube as a social media tool YouTubes principal features are the capability to upload and distribute video clips of any rational length. Most available standard video formats and converted to low resolution Flash for release. User account is necessary to b made in order to view YouTube video. This account provides a profile page that serves as an index to the users uploaded videos, and on which users may optionally disclose personal details, or subscribe to other users videos and friend other users; these details are then displayed in their profile pages. Users can then comment on other users or more commonly on particular video. Comments by users are displayed in the relevant pages. One of the YouTube feature is it offers community called group which user may join to assert specific interests. Groups provide a way to serialize video content as well as offering a text message interface similar to discussion boards or Usenet. YouTube signify an enormous opening for marketers to get in touch with consumers who are probing for relevant data about their products and services. YouTube can also be a significant direct marketing tool, conditioned that it should be taken as part of marketing mix rather than taken as a tactic or supported tool. Certain things are apparent, companies that are accomplishing durable attainment on YouTube are the ones who constantly and habitually issue and update contents on YouTube thats has inherent value for online users. How companies use YouTube as marketing tool Companies are working hard to figure out the unique ways to attract potential customers and make a successful social media strategy. There are various forms of advertisement available on the internet provided by the companies, but most significant popularity goes towards video advertisement and became hot subject in most recent months With the acquisition of YouTube by Google in October, 2006 the purpose to get hold of amplified revenues all the way through advertising partnerships is constantly striven for. While its starting to develop new ad offerings, its popularity is driving up costs that established Web giants, such as Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc., are able to spread out In an article written by Catherineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Gail Reinhard, creative director at an agency that focuses on creating video infotainment, she says, the brands that achieve longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ term success on YouTube are the ones that consistently and frequently publish refreshing content that has intrinsic value for audiences online. The natural aesthetic sense of sea waves and breaking swell waves at ocean surface help make Roxys and Quicksilver content truly captivating. Those companies who make their products with exciting and natural aesthetic sense can create content easily. and Quicksilvers and Roxys mini documentaries and web content give consumers an inside view of what goes on behind the scenes of professional surfing, skating and snowboarding tours circuits. They employ videos that feature gigantic and striking waves that definitely confine the audiences attention. But, they also generate webisodes and mini documentaries that offer people an inside scoop on the lives of professional surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders. With almost one new video a week, nearly every week Quicksilver displays fresh and unique content so that people keep coming back and put them always in curiosity state. With the ease availability of broadband, the dream to attend online college or university has fulfilled. Online education programs particularly private education have taken immense popularity that even old guards Ivy League Universities have started to propose classes or access to online programs. University of phoenix Online leads the charge in establishing strategy to market its online classes via video. They offer video testimonials, reviews, minià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ documentaries and webisodes. Their aim is to make video which fits for every potential students out there in market, as they r the ever first university which started YouTube as marketing tool for online courses and programs and they also appear on top when to search for online schools.

Australias Health Care System | Analysis

Australias Health Care System | Analysis The key principle underlying Australian healthcare system is equity to universal access to most health care regardless of the situation or ability to pay. This is achieved since revenue for this healthcare comes from taxation. Health services are funded through Medicare and pharmaceuticals schemes which are highly subsidized by the government while public hospitals and public healthcare are partly funded by commonwealth and state funding agreements. The schemes are founded on the spirit to make public health accessible by all the citizens irrespective of their financial ability (Healy Hilless, 2001). The purpose of this paper is to expound on the concepts of equity of access of healthcare in relation to effectiveness and efficiency and the relationships that exists among these concepts. Equity of access Equity is all about ensuring that all people have the support that they need to access, participate and achieve the same level. Access and equity are two concepts that go hand in hand they imply removing barriers and opening up opportunities. In the field of health these concepts mean that people with differing needs and abilities have the same opportunities to be attended to professionally by the medical practioners whether private or public at any time irrespective of their age, disability, color, race, gender, religion, sexuality, or location. It means addressing the healthcare need of everyone (Department of education and equity standards branch, 2003). The Australian government through its insurance schemes have tried to make healthcare accessible to all, however, it has been found that compressive insurance coverage is not always sufficient to ensure equitable access to health services since other factors such as shortages or mal-distribution of health services providers or constraints presented by language or cultural differences limit access to medically necessary care for apportion of the population (Docteur, 2004). In fact there is a wide agreement that rural and remote Australian communities are underserved by appropriately trained health professionals compared to those who live in the urban areas. Further, most remote Districts of Australia communities are unable to attract medical practioners and they are dependent upon rural remote area nurses to provide their healthcare. The shortage of rural registered nurses also impacts negatively on health care delivery. Despite these short comings, Australian population enjoys good h ealth relative to other countries with an increasing life expectancy of an average of 78 years and low incidences of life threatening infectious diseases. Although the spirit of the government healthcare policy to provide equity and access to healthcare has not been fully achieved, this policy has contributed greatly to the health status of its citizens. For instance over 85% of the people consider themselves to have excellent health status. In order to achieve the equity of access to health care ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s important that distribution of the health officers be checked and implements tele health services that will ensure that those Australians in remote areas have access to relevant healthcare (Jackson et al., 2009). Effectiveness There is no unanimity on how the concept of effectiveness can be defined, as a result of this there is inconsistency among scholars in their definition of the concept for instance. Some scholars view effectiveness as the degree by which organization achieves their goals, while others view it as the survival of the organization (Sudan Chand, 2004; Stephen, 2008). Other feels that effectiveness is present as long as an organization uses its resources efficiently and continues to contribute to the large system. Despite the inconsistencies, scholars have agreed on some points that may be applicable in measuring effectiveness. For instance how well has expectations of the society been met as per societal regulations and rules, the time dimension of how the system meets its goals in near future. Intermediate or in distant future and the decline or growth of the system can also be an indicator of effectiveness (Sudan Chad, 2004). Increasing the effectiveness of health care systems in Australia is growing priority for policy makers. The notion of effectiveness encompasses a broad and growing number of dimensions, reflecting increasing expectations in Australia in such away that health system must do more than just improve population health and reduce disability. The effectiveness of the access of health care by rural and remote communities in Australia has been enabled by the outreach models initiated; these are periodic supplies of the services from one location especially in towns to other location in this case remote areas. Other problems associated with heath care system especially in secondary and tertiary services such as surgery are not available to the people for instance Kimberley region has higher mortality rates than in the state level due to lack of access of specialist services like surgery which takes to long to be availed. The state rural community lacks enough medical personnel which mean that access to healthcare is also a problem. Compared to major towns like Melbourne, Kimberly the Australiaà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s most northern region with the highest proportion of aboriginal people always have a shortage of not lees than 20 medical doctors (OECD, 2002). Efficiency Measuring efficiency in healthcare is concerned with comparison of inputs with outputs or outcomes of the health care system to access the degree to which goals are achieved while minimizing resource usage. From economic perspective, efficiency put two elements into consideration that is allocative efficiency and dynamic efficiency.Allocative efficiency is aimed at allocation of resources so that the input invested in heath care system yield the best output. To achieve this technical efficiency, effectiveness and priority setting must be addressed. Effectiveness is aimed at maximizing outputs to a limited amount of inputs. Priority setting involves deciding amount of resources to be allocated in each and every disease while technical efficiency is achieved by ensuring that the staff serves to their full potential. Efficiency can also be measured in three levels i.e. the disease, subsector and system level. The disease level focuses on each disease on the gains in heath status brought by healthcare system, while the subsector level focuses on gains brought specifically by hospitals, outpatient care and pharmaceuticals and the system level relies on the holistic view of the system (OECD, 2010). Large hospitals and multi general practioners practice and specialist medical centers are most common in urban Australia and rare in rural Australia and services that look similar are actually structured differently. These healthcares deliver different services and cater for different populations. Rural residents are not equal participants in the primary health system since there are few general practioners in rural areas, they also make few visits in healthcare centers and they spend much to seek health care than their urban counterparts this means that the Medicare scheme of the government is not efficient in providing equity of access of health care to all citizens. The cost of time, transport and greater competition for services in regional centers contributes to lower utilization rates of those in smaller isolated communities (Luck, 2011). In addition the experienced pre-exist nurses in rural area can be up-skilled to serve a broader range of primary health care hence reducing t he burden of the general practitioners rather than trying to fill every vacancy of general practitioner. The nurses serve by complementing the work of medical practitioner. Interrelationships A properly functioning health system can be evaluated in terms of equity of access, efficiency and effectiveness of all the components of the system. Although there are a number of challenges in these dimensions, Australian health care system has strengths which manifests that the government has made efforts to maintain the proper functioning of the system in recognition that all these aspects are necessary and inseparable in a good health system. Efficiency, effectiveness and equity of access concepts are thus interrelated and their matrix is important when formulating policies of a system. Healthcare has remained a focal point for discussion throughout the history. However with entitlement spending dramatically increasing, poised for further increases, healthcare has been placed at the fore front of public policy. Globally very few countries have achieved an efficient and equitable healthcare industry. Australia serves as an excellent example in their health care policy because its system balances for equity of access and efficiency through the adoption of the free market policies in health provision as well as the base safety net for individuals who cannot afford free market rates hence making sure that the biggest population can be able to access the health services. According to Duckett (2008) efficiency compare outputs to inputs in this case, the number of health care staff to the number of people seeking health care services putting in to consideration the satisfaction the patients. Ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s possible to estimate the number of health staff required to attend patients satisfactorily in every region if efficiency ratios are known. In the efforts to achieve efficiency and effectiveness of the medical staff the policies of the government ensures that the citizens can access adequate and qualified medical personnel equitably. For instance in rural Australia there is an average of one medical doctor in a population of one thousand people. This is in contrast with the urban settings where the number of medical doctors is higher in the same population. While doctors in rural area may be efficient due to high number of patients they attend to access to them by citizens is limited hence contributing to the in effectiveness of the system due to citizensà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ dissatisfaction. Australia government and private sector has invested heavily in construction of health facilities in all regions so that citizens can access them easily and equitably. For instance it had 1051 acute care hospitals of which 734 were public hospitals providing 70% of the bed stock and 317 were private hospitals. Public hospitals are funded by the government or by charitable organizations while private hospitals are privately funded (Healy, 2001). Due to large number of public hospital with many facilities and resources they at times underutilized hence operating inefficiently. To ensure that efficiency is achieved public hospitals liaise with private hospitals to provide private services that are not available in private hospitals. This way efficiency is achieved and at the same time the satisfaction of the citizens by the kind of collaboration that exist between private and public hospitals indicates that the hospitals are effective in accordance with social rules and regulations. Eff iciency of hospitals has also been achieved through the policy of regional hospitals constructed in regional centers especially to cater for rural population. The regional hospitals also help the citizens to access specialist health care with ease. All this efforts contributes to the success of the health system in the spirit on universal access to health care (Duckett, 2008). For the societal satisfaction with the health care system the founding principles of the Australian health care system must work hand in hand. Effectiveness, efficiency and equity of access principles should be demonstrable in a perfect system. Although perfection cannot be achieved the governments through its insurance policies have tried to make accessibility a reality. In addition to accessibility the efficiency of the health workers has been tried to be achieved through encouraging the general practitioners to work in the remote areas where there is shortage of practitioners this is done through incentives, perks and allowances offered to those who practice in rural areas in addition to this tele health care services are adopted such that health care services are moved closer to the people from the urban areas where it concentrated these practices are done periodically. Conclusion The underlying principle in Australian healthcare system is equity to universal access to most health care regardless of the situation or ability to pay. This is achieved since most health care system get revenue from taxation thus promoting equity of access of the health system. The concept of equity of access in relation to effectiveness and efficiency is also explored in Australian heath care system (Healy, 2001). In this case efficiency is measured by degree to which goals are achieved in health care system while minimizing resource usage while effectiveness is measured by degree to which health care system achieve their goals. Large hospitals and multi general practitioners practice and specialist medical centers are most common in urban Australia and rare in rural Australia. This indicates that the Medicare scheme of the government is not efficient and effective in providing equity of access of health care to all citizens. Representations Of Women In The Media: Unrealistic Representations Of Women In The Media: Unrealistic In this essay I will discuss the images of women in mass media and mass culture and how realistic or discursive they are. I will approach this through observing and analysing media advertising and stereotyping of females as a whole. I will examine the role of the woman in modern society and consider her position in public culture. I will begin with an explanation of Cantors theory that representations of women in the media are unreasonable and too different from reality in present society (Cantor, M. 1978). This hypothesis suggests that these images reflect only a few â€Å"real† women and disregards those of different colour, age, status or sexual orientation. The fact is that female icons in the media reshape the perceptions of women and exacerbate the flaws of ordinary ones. Goffman (1979) argues that while images of men are closer to reality, female are represented as â€Å"models pretending to be real persons†. This comes from the fact that women in mass media have lost their personality and have become an object of sight, a thing to be gazed at (Berger, J. 1972). I conclude that women in popular culture do not represent the complete reality but we can witness some improvement throughout recent years, which I will mention later in the essay. First, I will start with the way that women are displayed in the media and what their role they adopt in terms of populism. Females, either celebrities or models, are often put on exhibit in different types of media in order to promote products, shows, movies, events. There are different stereotypes- from the femme fatale to the supermom but there is a connection between all of them. They are always white, slim, and perfectly-shaped which implies a certain ideal of the modern woman. Problems come when ordinary women are forced to conform to this ideal. And when I say â€Å"forced†, I mean trying to live up to the imposed visions of female beauty. There are set standards of beauty and women try to meet these standards in order to be liked and admired. Womens main concern is their body shape. They try to achieve this mesomorphic figure. This means an ideal shape of the body which for women is an â€Å"hourglass† figure (Handout â€Å"Is Media Sexist†). I argue tha t these beauty standards are established for a purpose. Everybody gains from womens insecurities except them. When women are not self-confident, they turn to cosmetic and diet products to achieve the desired standard. This results immediately in the profit and the development of the companies and the industries. For evidence I turn to data from (BBC News World Edition, Feb 5. 2003) where the diet industry alone is worth 40 to 100 billion (U.S.) a year. What is worse, being surrounded by all these perfect images, women start to feel depressed, lose their self-confidence and develop eating disorders. The American research group Anorexia, Nevrosa Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four female students regulates her weight through fasting, skipping meals or vomiting. â€Å"Beauty demands sacrifices† this is the excuse for women suffering and struggling to achieve the ideal. However, this ideal lies in the realm of the unrealistic beauty. It is impossible to achieve perfection and what is more, flaws make us unique and charming. Nevertheless, not everybody feels that way, especially when every single advertisement, show or magazine has imposed the thinness as the main factor for attractiveness. Canadian researcher Gregory Frouts reports that over three-quarters of the actresses in television shows are underweight and those who happen to be heavier are criticised and get negative comments. Magazine industry has made some efforts to oppose the trend of displaying only slim models by putting a heavy-set model on its cover but the advertisers remain sceptic towards their ability to sell beauty products. Another group being affected by the beauty standards are teenagers. 50% to 70% of all preadolescent girls, for instance, are reported to have been on at least one diet and are dissatisfied with their bodies. This stems from the fact that more young girls are involved in media and popular culture. By observing their idols that dress provoc atively and act controversially, teenage girls look up to them and imitate them, believing this is the right behaviour. In her book the Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf (2002, page 3) says: â€Å"The notorious Calvin Klein ad campaigns eroticised sixteen-year-olds when I was a teenager, then eroticised fourteen-year-old models in the early nineties, then twelve-year-olds in the late nineties.† With reducing the age of the girls on exposure in the media, it becomes harder for youngsters to ignore the sexualized ideal and not to obey the markets and the industrys conventions. The truth is that this sexualized ideal and pornography have started to influence popular culture and this leads to the objectification of women (Briggs, A. and Cobley, P. 1998). Knowing that sex sells in todays society and men are attracted to women on the base of sexuality and seductiveness, the only thing which comes to mind when seeing another commercial with a beautiful and provocative girl, is sex. The need for mens attention and the wish to be desired are the main reasons for a woman to change herself. In spite of the change, women will hardly achieve this ideal because of the high and unattainable requirements it sets. The term which applies to this situation is hyperreal. It is a post-modern theory which suggests that we cannot tell the difference between image and reality (Baudrillard, J.) It seems that media has reshaped usual representations and it is hard to perceive an image of a celebrity going out in the public without makeup to walk her dog, for example. The incapability of making a distinction between media image and reality and setting an expected model for womens appearance make it harder for women to meet the demands of the popular media. That is to stand for something that does not exist. This is the time when the simulacra replaces reality. The Simulacra (a copy) starts as a reflection of reality, then it masks and misrepresents it till there is no longer a basic reality and the simulacra becomes a substitution for the real world (Baudrillard, J. 1988). Good example s are processes which help us transform our image such as digital photography and editing, virtual reality, controlling weight. These methods of changing oneself could have a great impact on the simulacra and it will start to disguise and fight reality. For instance, nowadays is easier to fool the audience. With the developing technology and the growth of cosmetic surgery industry it has become a common practice for faces of the media to cover certain imperfections and to hide flaws. I will argue that female movie stars are highly misrepresented regarding their appearance. The paradox comes when even in movies for ancient times, female characters are still perfect, with perfect skin and white teeth never mind the situation, the place (stranded on a desert island for example, the TV series Lost) or the period of time. Also, body doubles are used to veil some weaknesses of the actresses. (such as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman). Studies show that 85% of these body doubles have breast implants. (Kilbourne, J., Cant Buy My Love, 2001). However, there is scientific evidence which suggests a lot of women with breast implants suffer different side effects: pain, deformations of the skin, insensitive breasts or potentional tumour. (Centre for Policy Research for Women and Families, Washington, D.C.) Studies indicate that even plastic surgeries among teens have increased by 50% from 1996-1998 mostly for girls. This results from media superstars parading with their plastic surgeries and advertising them everywhere which eventually leads to a model for imitation. This non realistic model, however, cannot be accepted by everyone. Very few women could achieve this ideal. Even so advertised among girls Barbie cannot be a measure for perfection. Research comparing a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions shows that if put into practice, this exemplary woman would have a too weak back and a too narrow body to include all human organs. Eventually, such a woman would die from malnutrition. (Time, Nov 11. 1996). This is another example of the unrealistic image and role which women accept. There is another alternative that women have started to apply their desire for beauty and change- the reality TVs Extreme Makeover, The Swan or I Want a Famous Face. These people, mostly women, participating in the project are subjected to a strict diet and exercise regimes, psychological counselling and many surgical procedures. The aim is to transform the person physically and then the inner peace and tranquillity will be achieved resulting in ones satisfaction with life. These programmes claim that all social and personal problems could be solved through cosmetic surgery. The only thing that the shows miss, however, is showing the potential risk of such interventions. Neither of them reveals the possibility of complications of plastic surgery. In this way particularly women are made to believe that ideal bodies are attainable and transforming ones figu re is a normal thing now. (Turner, L. 2004). In other words, all kinds of media television, film, radio, magazines and music video industries have a great influence on defining and identifying the conceptions of ideal physiques and figure. Music televisions such as MTV often display girls and women in the traditional role of a sex object, inviting and evoking sexual fantasies, whereas serious female musicians are rarely featured. Also, men are shown as sex objects less frequently. (MTV Programming; and Media Use in America, 2000, Mediascope). So, women are again in the submissive role but this is the way audience will perceive them. Most often, there is a connection between images and audiences. Fiske (1987) suggests that audiences recognise two different strategies when interpreting womens images. One is the realistic interpretation which implies the presence of real persons and the belief that the representations are genuine. The other is the discursive interpretation which reveals a non realistic image and depends on the so cial and cultural values of the audiences themselves. This suggests that images of women in the media correspond to the needs and the values of contemporary society. Eventually, interaction occurs between media representations and their addressees. It is in their hands to decide whether to believe or not, whether to be like these images or not but the most important thing is that the women should have the right to choose and not to follow an unrealistic ideal just because of the trend. I conclude that the conception that women always have to perfect their bodies has made a huge progress. Nevertheless, there have been some indications for a change in recent years. Naomi Wolf (2002) argues that from the first publishing of the book, which criticise the demand and the judgement upon women concerning the beauty, there has been some room for improvement now. According to her, there is no more just one representation of the woman in popular culture. Women of colour have now more publicity in all fields of media (e.g. Rhianna, Beyonce), as the second one is one of the most successful and profitable singers and is more of a plus-size woman at the same time. Speaking of plus-size women, I suggest looking at celebrities like Queen Latifah launching a plus-size clothing line. Before, it was unthinkable to display old women and whenever this happens, they were transformed in such a way that they will have no wrinkles and will look no older than thirty. Now, media is overwhelmed by statements like â€Å"Demi Moore is not afraid of getting old†. Different age, colour, even sexual orientation (Ellen DeGeneres- openly gay TV host) have started to get accepted by general public and gain more popularity in terms of the real representation of women. I would like to conclude that there are still stereotypes and a common misrepresentation of women in the media but it is all starting to create a greater variety of beauty standards which result in a more realistic, though still demanding, conception of beauty and femininity. References 1. Baudrillard, J. (ed.) (1988) Selected Writings, Stanford: Stanford University Press. 2. BBC News World Edition, Feb 5. 2003, The Diet business: Banking on failure. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2725943.stm 3. Beauty and Body Image in the Media http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm 4. Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing, Harmondsworth: Penguin. 5. Briggs, A. and Cobley, P. (1998) The Media: An Introduction, Essex: Pearson Education Limited 6. Cantor, M. (1978) â€Å"Where are the women in public broadcasting?† in G.Tuchman (ed.) Hearth and Home: Images of Women in the Media, New York: Oxford University Press. 7. Centre for Policy Research for Women and Families, Washington, D.C. 8. http://www.mediaandwomen.org/problem.html 9. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1393908.php/Demi_Moore_s_age_ease 10. Friske, J. (1987) Television Culture, London: Methuen. 11. Goffman, E. (1979) Gender Advertisements, New York: Harper Row. 12. Handout â€Å"Is Media Sexist† 13. Kilbourne, J. (2001) Cant Buy My Love, New York: Touchstone. 14. Moore, S. (1998) â€Å"Heres looking at you, kid!† in L.Gamman and M.Marshment (eds) The Female Gaze, London: Womens Press. 15. MTV Programming; and Media Use in America, 2000, Mediascope 16. The Canadian Womens Health Network (Body Image and the Media). http://www.cwhn.ca/node/40776 17. Time, Nov 11. 1996, Barbie boots up. http://www.time.com 18. Turner, L. (2004), Cosmetic Surgery: the new face of reality TV 19. Wolf N. (ed.) ( 2002) The Beauty Myth, London: Chatto Windus

Defining Death :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Defining Death You have been told that someone is lying on a bed, their mind, for all intents and purposes is no longer functioning. Their internal organs, however, are. You are asked if it would be okay to remove the organs for transplantation. What do you do? As much as this question sounds like science fiction, there are 10,000 people living on life support in the United States. There has been a long held rule of thumb that when the heart beat and breathing have stopped, a person was considered dead. One doctor wrote of having to pronounce death on a man when he was still an intern. He relied on a EKG, and electrocardiogram, something that measures the heart rate, to give him his final conclusion of death. To use only that criteria is becoming a grayer and grayer area as medical technology progresses and other issues begin to take the fore. We are now capable of sustaining bodies for extended periods of time and also are now able to transplant organs from one person to another. For obvious reasons you cannot transplant certain organs from human beings without the donor first being dead, and then you have a very limited time within which you must "harvest" the organs. Just because part of the nervous system is functioning does not necessarily mean the rest of the nervous system is. Many people from different walks of life feel that as soon as "higher" functio ns cease and someone is brain dead, then their organs are fair game if they had previously decided to donate them. (2) That sentiment, while understandable, begs another question, how do you tell when these functions cease? According to a commission done in 1981, brain death can be determined by the following criteria; unresponsiveness (person does not respond to any external stimulus and cannot communicate with the outside world,) an absence of cerebral and brain stem function (pupils are unchanging, no gag reflex, limbs are flaccid,), nature of coma is known, must rule out hypothermia, drug intoxication and the person is not in shock. Also, you must have 12 hours without an EEG response or other EEG measure. There are also confirmatory things to look at, but these are not required, you can have an EEG with no activity, no cerebral blood flow, and no function in vital brain stem areas. (4) This can be summarized by saying that the brain has to totally cease functioning.

The Magnetism of the Good and Ethical Realism Essay -- Philosophy Good

The Magnetism of the Good and Ethical Realism ABSTRACT: Ethical antirealists believe the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, do not signify properties that objects and actions have or might have. They believe that when a person calls pain or any other event ‘bad’ and adultery or any other action ‘wrong’, he does not report some fact about that object or action. J. L. Mackie defends ethical anti-realism in part by appealing to an ontological queerness he believes value properties would have if they existed. "If there were objective values," Mackie writes, "they would be entities or qualities or relations of a very strange sort, utterly different from anything else in the universe." (1) Goodness would have a queer magnetic power. "Something's being good both tells the person who knows this to pursue it and makes him pursue it. An objective good would be sought by anyone who was acquainted with it, not because of any contingent fact that this person, or every person, is so constituted that he desires this end, but just because the end has to-be-pursuedness somehow built into it," Mackie says. If there were a property of the sort we conceive of good as being, it would be a queer property—one we cannot reasonably believe exists, Mackie argues. "Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim." Aristotle "To the rational animal the same act is according to nature and according to reason." Marcus Aurelius In this paper I address and overturn the above argument from ontological queerness against value-realism that Mackie uses in the quoted passage. I argue as follows: thou... ...inted with good properties of those objects is contingent on some fact about the nature of people. Thus there are two parts to the explanation of why people want and seek pleasure and other goods. First, it is the nature of an object’s being good that the object has a property which, when people are aware of it, provides them, in certain circumstances, reason to desire, seek and choose that object. Second, members of intelligent species are disposed by nature to form desires in response to reason and to act for reasons. A person’s intelligence consists in part in a disposition to form desires for, and to seek, objects that have properties that provide him with reason to desire and seek that object. A person’s intelligence directs him toward what there is reason to desire. Notes (1) Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1977) p. 38.

Kings :: essays research papers

Volume 1 : Inferno Cantos I - XI Canto I Halfway through his life, DANTE THE PILGRIM wakes to find himself lost in the dark wood. Terrified at being alone in so dismal a valley, he wanders until he comes to a hill bathed in sunlight, and his fear begins to leave him. But when he starts to climb the hill his path is blocked by three fierce beasts: first a LEOPARD, then a LION, and finally a SHE-WOLF. They fill him with fear and drive him back down to the sunless wood. At that moment the figure of a man appears before him; it is the shade of VIRGIL, and the Pilgrim begs for help. Virgil tells him that he can not overcome the beasts which obstruct his path; they must remain until a ‘GREYHOUND’ comes who will drive them back to Hell. Rather by another path will the Pilgrim reach the sunlight, and Virgil promises to guide him on that path through Hell and Purgatory, after which another spirit, more fit that Virgil, will lead him to Paradise. The Pilgrim begs Virgil to lead on, and the Guide starts ahead. The Pilgrim follows. View a Picture of Dante Lost in the Dark Wood View a Picture of The Lion Confronting Dante Notes on Canto I Early critics of Dante thought that the three beasts that block the Pilgrim’s path as symbolising three specific sins: lust, pride and avarice, but it may be that they represent the three major divisions of Hell. The spotted leopard represents Fraud and reigns over the Eighth and Ninth Circles, where the Fraudulent are punished. The Lion symbolises all forms of Violence, which are punished in the Seventh Circle. The she-wolf represents the different types of Concupiscence or Incontinence, which are punished in Circles Two to Five. In any case the beasts must represent the three major categories of human sin, and they threaten Dante the Pilgrim, the poets symbol of mankind. It is impossible to understand all of the allegory in the First Canto without having read the entire Comedy because Canto I is, in a sense, a miniature of the whole, and the themes that Dante introduces here will be the major themes of the entire work. Thus this canto is perhaps the most important of the entire work. This Canto explains that Dante must choose another road because, in order to arrive at the Divine Light, it is necessary first to recognise the true nature of sin, renounce it, and do penance for it.

Life Span Development

The study of lifespan development grew out of Darwin’s desire to understand evolution. The first study of children was published by G. Stanley Hall. Hall’s book introduced norms and adolescence to scientists (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Lifespan is the period of time from conception extending to death. This paper will define the development of humans throughout the lifespan and describe the characteristics of the lifespan perspective. Human development domains and periods will be identified and contemporary concerns as related to lifespan development will be identified. Lifespan Development Defined Lifespan development is a process beginning at conception that continues until death. The progression initiates with the emergence of a fetus from a one-celled organism. As the unborn child enters the world the environment in which the child exists begins to influence the child’s development (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001). Lifespan development can be defined as a methodical, intra-individual change associated with progressions corresponding to age. The development progresses in a manner implicating the level of functioning. According to Levinson the life cycle consists of four 25 year eras. The main developmental periods are child and adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Each era’s transition involves a necessary change in the character of the individual’s life and sometimes takes up to six years to complete the change (Smith, 2009). The study of human development began with Darwin and other evolutionists. Darwin thought if he studied human development he could further prove his theory of evolution (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Characteristics of the Lifespan Perspective The lifespan perspective argues that significant modifications take place throughout development. The lifelong perspective consists of a development of humans that is multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual. The development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Changes that occur should be interpreted in a manner that considers the culture and context of the occurrences. Through the perspective comprehensions of the modifications of adulthood have gained as much importance as those occurring in childhood; an understanding from other disciplines in turn have increased importance in human development. According to Paul Baltes, humans have the capacity of plasticity or positive change to environmental difficulties throughout life. Baltes additionally contributed to the understanding of the positive characteristics of growing old such as learning ways to compensate and overcome (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Domains The domains of development are categories used by scientists. The categories include, physical, cognitive and social domains characterize human development. The physical domain is characterized by how humans grow and change physically, specifically during childhood and adolescence. This domain includes how humans view the world as development progresses as a result of developing vision. Adjustments in the way the world is viewed as the body develops are also included in this domain. The cognitive domain is concerned with how learning occurs and why memory deteriorates during old age. The social domain contains adjustment in variables within social situations such as personality research, social skills and developing relationships. All the domains operate together and are affected by each other (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Periods Human development periods span the lifetime from conception to the end of life. These periods are as follows, prenatal, early, middle and late childhood. As the child grows and approaches adulthood the periods are adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood. Numerous theories about the periods of development and the movement from one period to the next exist. Various theories attempt to define how movement from one level to the next level of development occurs. The three major families include psychoanalytic, learning and cognitive theories (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Contemporary Concerns in Lifespan Development Nature versus nurture is one of the many contemporary concerns in lifespan development. Additional concerns in the area of development include continuity and discontinuity. Nature and nurture concerns surround the basis of development. The issue lies in determining the weather genetics or environment influence development. The concern of continuity and discontinuity’s impact on development lies in relationship development. â€Å" The question is whether age-related change is primarily a matter of amount or degree (the continuity side of the debate) or more commonly involves changes in type or kind (the discontinuity side)† (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. ). Conclusion Development of the lifespan began with Darwin and continues to intrigue psychologists and scientists today. An understanding of how humans develop consists of the domains of physical, cognitive and social advances. The domains occur throughout prenatal, childhood and adult development. As the field expands the controversy of nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity continue to perplex those within the field. Freud advanced a theory of personality development that centered on the effects of the sexual pleasure drive on the individual psyche. At particular points in the developmental process, he claimed, a single body part is particularly sensitive to sexual, erotic stimulation. These erogenous zones are the mouth, the anus, and the genital region. The child's libido centers on behavior affecting the primary erogenous zone of his age; he cannot focus on the primary erogenous zone of the next stage without resolving the developmental conflict of the immediate one. A child at a given stage of development has certain needs and demands, such as the need of the infant to nurse. Frustration occurs when these needs are not met; Overindulgence stems from such an ample meeting of these needs that the child is reluctant to progress beyond the stage. Both frustration and overindulgence lock some amount of the child's libido permanently into the stage in which they occur; both result in a fixation. If a child progresses normally through the stages, resolving each conflict and moving on, then little libido remains invested in each stage of development. But if he fixates at a particular stage, the method of obtaining satisfaction which characterized the stage will dominate and affect his adult personality. The Oral Stage The oral stage begins at birth, when the oral cavity is the primary focus of libidal energy. The child, of course, preoccupies himself with nursing, with the pleasure of sucking and accepting things into the mouth. The oral character who is frustrated at this stage, whose mother refused to nurse him on demand or who truncated nursing sessions early, is characterized by pessimism, envy, suspicion and sarcasm. The overindulged oral character, whose nursing urges were always and often excessively satisfied, is optimistic, gullible, and is full of admiration for others around him. The stage culminates in the primary conflict of weaning, which both deprives the child of the sensory pleasures of nursing and of the psychological pleasure of being cared for, mothered, and held. The stage lasts approximately one and one-half years. The Anal Stage At one and one-half years, the child enters the anal stage. With the advent of toilet training comes the child's obsession with the erogenous zone of the anus and with the retention or expulsion of the feces. This represents a classic conflict between the id, which derives pleasure from expulsion of bodily wastes, and the ego and superego, which represent the practical and societal pressures to control the bodily functions. The child meets the conflict between the parent's demands and the child's desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways: Either he puts up a fight or he simply refuses to go. The child who wants to fight takes pleasure in excreting maliciously, perhaps just before or just after being placed on the toilet. If the parents are too lenient and the child manages to derive pleasure and success from this expulsion, it will result in the formation of an anal expulsive character. This character is generally messy, disorganized, reckless, careless, and defiant. Conversely, a child may opt to retain feces, thereby spiting his parents while enjoying the pleasurable pressure of the built-up feces on his intestine. If this tactic succeeds and the child is overindulged, he will develop into an anal retentive character. This character is neat, precise, orderly, careful, stingy, withholding, obstinate, meticulous, and passive-aggressive. The resolution of the anal stage, proper toilet training, permanently affects the individual propensities to possession and attitudes towards authority. This stage lasts from one and one-half to two years. The Phallic Stage The phallic stage is the setting for the greatest, most crucial sexual conflict in Freud's model of development. In this stage, the child's erogenous zone is the genital region. As the child becomes more interested in his genitals, and in the genitals of others, conflict arises. The conflict, labeled the Oedipus complex (The Electra complex in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one. In the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, a love which becomes sexual as his libidal energy transfers from the anal region to his genitals. Unfortunately for the boy, his father stands in the way of this love. The boy therefore feels aggression and envy towards this rival, his father, and also feels fear that the father will strike back at him. As the boy has noticed that women, his mother in particular, have no penises, he is struck by a great fear that his father will remove his penis, too. The anxiety is aggravated by the threats and discipline he incurs when caught masturbating by his parents. This castration anxiety outstrips his desire for his mother, so he represses the desire. Moreover, although the boy sees that though he cannot posses his mother, because his father does, he can posses her vicariously by identifying with his father and becoming as much like him as possible: this identification indoctrinates the boy into his appropriate sexual role in life. A lasting trace of the Oedipal conflict is the superego, the voice of the father within the boy. By thus resolving his incestuous conundrum, the boy passes into the latency period, a period of libidal dormancy. On the Electra complex, Freud was more vague. The complex has its roots in the little girl's discovery that she, along with her mother and all other women, lack the penis which her father and other men posses. Her love for her father then becomes both erotic and envious, as she yearns for a penis of her own. She comes to blame her mother for her perceived castration, and is struck by penis envy, the apparent counterpart to the boy's castration anxiety. The resolution of the Electra complex is far less clear-cut than the resolution of the Oedipus complex is in males; Freud stated that the resolution comes much later and is never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual role by identifying with his father, so the girl learns her role by identifying with her mother in an attempt to posses her father vicariously. At the eventual resolution of the conflict, the girl passes into the latency period, though Freud implies that she always remains slightly fixated at the phallic stage. Fixation at the phallic stage develops a phallic character, who is reckless, resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic–excessively vain and proud. The failure to resolve the conflict can also cause a person to be afraid or incapable of close love; Freud also postulated that fixation could be a root cause of homosexuality. Latency Period The resolution of the phallic stage leads to the latency period, which is not a psychosexual stage of development, but a period in which the sexual drive lies dormant. Freud saw latency as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses. During the latency period, children pour this repressed libidal energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships. But soon puberty strikes, and the genitals once again become a central focus of libidal energy. The Genital Stage In the genital stage, as the child's energy once again focuses on his genitals, interest turns to heterosexual relationships. The less energy the child has left invested in unresolved psychosexual developments, the greater his capacity will be to develop normal relationships with the opposite sex. If, however, he remains fixated, particularly on the phallic stage, his development will be troubled as he struggles with further repression and defenses. Life Span Development The study of lifespan development grew out of Darwin’s desire to understand evolution. The first study of children was published by G. Stanley Hall. Hall’s book introduced norms and adolescence to scientists (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Lifespan is the period of time from conception extending to death. This paper will define the development of humans throughout the lifespan and describe the characteristics of the lifespan perspective. Human development domains and periods will be identified and contemporary concerns as related to lifespan development will be identified. Lifespan Development Defined Lifespan development is a process beginning at conception that continues until death. The progression initiates with the emergence of a fetus from a one-celled organism. As the unborn child enters the world the environment in which the child exists begins to influence the child’s development (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001). Lifespan development can be defined as a methodical, intra-individual change associated with progressions corresponding to age. The development progresses in a manner implicating the level of functioning. According to Levinson the life cycle consists of four 25 year eras. The main developmental periods are child and adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Each era’s transition involves a necessary change in the character of the individual’s life and sometimes takes up to six years to complete the change (Smith, 2009). The study of human development began with Darwin and other evolutionists. Darwin thought if he studied human development he could further prove his theory of evolution (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Characteristics of the Lifespan Perspective The lifespan perspective argues that significant modifications take place throughout development. The lifelong perspective consists of a development of humans that is multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual. The development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Changes that occur should be interpreted in a manner that considers the culture and context of the occurrences. Through the perspective comprehensions of the modifications of adulthood have gained as much importance as those occurring in childhood; an understanding from other disciplines in turn have increased importance in human development. According to Paul Baltes, humans have the capacity of plasticity or positive change to environmental difficulties throughout life. Baltes additionally contributed to the understanding of the positive characteristics of growing old such as learning ways to compensate and overcome (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Domains The domains of development are categories used by scientists. The categories include, physical, cognitive and social domains characterize human development. The physical domain is characterized by how humans grow and change physically, specifically during childhood and adolescence. This domain includes how humans view the world as development progresses as a result of developing vision. Adjustments in the way the world is viewed as the body develops are also included in this domain. The cognitive domain is concerned with how learning occurs and why memory deteriorates during old age. The social domain contains adjustment in variables within social situations such as personality research, social skills and developing relationships. All the domains operate together and are affected by each other (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Periods Human development periods span the lifetime from conception to the end of life. These periods are as follows, prenatal, early, middle and late childhood. As the child grows and approaches adulthood the periods are adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood. Numerous theories about the periods of development and the movement from one period to the next exist. Various theories attempt to define how movement from one level to the next level of development occurs. The three major families include psychoanalytic, learning and cognitive theories (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Contemporary Concerns in Lifespan Development Nature versus nurture is one of the many contemporary concerns in lifespan development. Additional concerns in the area of development include continuity and discontinuity. Nature and nurture concerns surround the basis of development. The issue lies in determining the weather genetics or environment influence development. The concern of continuity and discontinuity’s impact on development lies in relationship development. â€Å" The question is whether age-related change is primarily a matter of amount or degree (the continuity side of the debate) or more commonly involves changes in type or kind (the discontinuity side)† (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. ). Conclusion Development of the lifespan began with Darwin and continues to intrigue psychologists and scientists today. An understanding of how humans develop consists of the domains of physical, cognitive and social advances. The domains occur throughout prenatal, childhood and adult development. As the field expands the controversy of nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity continue to perplex those within the field. Freud advanced a theory of personality development that centered on the effects of the sexual pleasure drive on the individual psyche. At particular points in the developmental process, he claimed, a single body part is particularly sensitive to sexual, erotic stimulation. These erogenous zones are the mouth, the anus, and the genital region. The child's libido centers on behavior affecting the primary erogenous zone of his age; he cannot focus on the primary erogenous zone of the next stage without resolving the developmental conflict of the immediate one. A child at a given stage of development has certain needs and demands, such as the need of the infant to nurse. Frustration occurs when these needs are not met; Overindulgence stems from such an ample meeting of these needs that the child is reluctant to progress beyond the stage. Both frustration and overindulgence lock some amount of the child's libido permanently into the stage in which they occur; both result in a fixation. If a child progresses normally through the stages, resolving each conflict and moving on, then little libido remains invested in each stage of development. But if he fixates at a particular stage, the method of obtaining satisfaction which characterized the stage will dominate and affect his adult personality. The Oral Stage The oral stage begins at birth, when the oral cavity is the primary focus of libidal energy. The child, of course, preoccupies himself with nursing, with the pleasure of sucking and accepting things into the mouth. The oral character who is frustrated at this stage, whose mother refused to nurse him on demand or who truncated nursing sessions early, is characterized by pessimism, envy, suspicion and sarcasm. The overindulged oral character, whose nursing urges were always and often excessively satisfied, is optimistic, gullible, and is full of admiration for others around him. The stage culminates in the primary conflict of weaning, which both deprives the child of the sensory pleasures of nursing and of the psychological pleasure of being cared for, mothered, and held. The stage lasts approximately one and one-half years. The Anal Stage At one and one-half years, the child enters the anal stage. With the advent of toilet training comes the child's obsession with the erogenous zone of the anus and with the retention or expulsion of the feces. This represents a classic conflict between the id, which derives pleasure from expulsion of bodily wastes, and the ego and superego, which represent the practical and societal pressures to control the bodily functions. The child meets the conflict between the parent's demands and the child's desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways: Either he puts up a fight or he simply refuses to go. The child who wants to fight takes pleasure in excreting maliciously, perhaps just before or just after being placed on the toilet. If the parents are too lenient and the child manages to derive pleasure and success from this expulsion, it will result in the formation of an anal expulsive character. This character is generally messy, disorganized, reckless, careless, and defiant. Conversely, a child may opt to retain feces, thereby spiting his parents while enjoying the pleasurable pressure of the built-up feces on his intestine. If this tactic succeeds and the child is overindulged, he will develop into an anal retentive character. This character is neat, precise, orderly, careful, stingy, withholding, obstinate, meticulous, and passive-aggressive. The resolution of the anal stage, proper toilet training, permanently affects the individual propensities to possession and attitudes towards authority. This stage lasts from one and one-half to two years. The Phallic Stage The phallic stage is the setting for the greatest, most crucial sexual conflict in Freud's model of development. In this stage, the child's erogenous zone is the genital region. As the child becomes more interested in his genitals, and in the genitals of others, conflict arises. The conflict, labeled the Oedipus complex (The Electra complex in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one. In the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, a love which becomes sexual as his libidal energy transfers from the anal region to his genitals. Unfortunately for the boy, his father stands in the way of this love. The boy therefore feels aggression and envy towards this rival, his father, and also feels fear that the father will strike back at him. As the boy has noticed that women, his mother in particular, have no penises, he is struck by a great fear that his father will remove his penis, too. The anxiety is aggravated by the threats and discipline he incurs when caught masturbating by his parents. This castration anxiety outstrips his desire for his mother, so he represses the desire. Moreover, although the boy sees that though he cannot posses his mother, because his father does, he can posses her vicariously by identifying with his father and becoming as much like him as possible: this identification indoctrinates the boy into his appropriate sexual role in life. A lasting trace of the Oedipal conflict is the superego, the voice of the father within the boy. By thus resolving his incestuous conundrum, the boy passes into the latency period, a period of libidal dormancy. On the Electra complex, Freud was more vague. The complex has its roots in the little girl's discovery that she, along with her mother and all other women, lack the penis which her father and other men posses. Her love for her father then becomes both erotic and envious, as she yearns for a penis of her own. She comes to blame her mother for her perceived castration, and is struck by penis envy, the apparent counterpart to the boy's castration anxiety. The resolution of the Electra complex is far less clear-cut than the resolution of the Oedipus complex is in males; Freud stated that the resolution comes much later and is never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual role by identifying with his father, so the girl learns her role by identifying with her mother in an attempt to posses her father vicariously. At the eventual resolution of the conflict, the girl passes into the latency period, though Freud implies that she always remains slightly fixated at the phallic stage. Fixation at the phallic stage develops a phallic character, who is reckless, resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic–excessively vain and proud. The failure to resolve the conflict can also cause a person to be afraid or incapable of close love; Freud also postulated that fixation could be a root cause of homosexuality. Latency Period The resolution of the phallic stage leads to the latency period, which is not a psychosexual stage of development, but a period in which the sexual drive lies dormant. Freud saw latency as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses. During the latency period, children pour this repressed libidal energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships. But soon puberty strikes, and the genitals once again become a central focus of libidal energy. The Genital Stage In the genital stage, as the child's energy once again focuses on his genitals, interest turns to heterosexual relationships. The less energy the child has left invested in unresolved psychosexual developments, the greater his capacity will be to develop normal relationships with the opposite sex. If, however, he remains fixated, particularly on the phallic stage, his development will be troubled as he struggles with further repression and defenses.