My High School Years Essay Example for Free

My High School Years Essay We all have nice memories of when we attended high school. Memories that will never be forgotten. For most of us it has been a while since high school and it is all a blur. We all remember a lot of things, especially things that the school did and we didn’t approve of. Something that would annoy us, but we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. The majority of us, I’m sure, don’t like the way the school handled the schedule, the food we had for lunch, or the teachers we had to listen to. One of the things that they need to change in high school is the way they handle the lunch periods. School is already hard on us because of all the homework we get and I don’t think is fair that they won’t allow us to pick our lunch period. We are all accustomed to eating at a certain time. The school would either give us lunch too early or too late. If they gave us lunch too early, we wouldn’t be hungry. In my case I would have breakfast during my study hall which was 3rd period, then I would have lunch which was 4rd period. I would have to force myself to eat or else I would be hungry the rest of the day. If we had lunch too late, we would not be able to concentrate in class because while we were working silently on our work we could hear our stomach growling, students that were sitting around us would just laugh. I remember that when that would happen to me I would start turning the pages of my book real fast so that the students around me couldn’t hear me. When I was in high school most of the students were mean and unfriendly. It was really hard to make friends, at least for me it was, and to be placed in a lunch period where you didn’t know anyone wasn’t easy. Our high school had a big cafeteria that could be divided into three smaller rooms, but they would never open up the walls. The reason for this was that there had been a huge fight once and they didn’t want any more confrontations. Each room had a name, they were named Commons A, Commons B, and Commons C. We weren’t able to pick the common in which we wanted to be in. The school, to make our life more miserable, would also give us assigned seats. One thing that I can’t complain about and that my classmates are probably going to look at me right now for saying this is the food. I went to Belvidere High School and I loved the food! I would look forward to lunchtime every day just because of the food. Till this day I have not found alfredo sauce that is as good as the one that they just to give us in high school. One thing that I would hate in high school was how they would run the schedules. They would give us too much time for one thing and not enough for another. We would go into a classroom for 15 minutes and do nothing. This class period was called home room. The teacher was supposed to inform us of changes that would be going on around the school, but they never would. We would sit there for 15 minutes of our life and basically do nothing. The teacher herself didn’t know what was going on. They also need to take away study hall, people didn’t do their homework during study hall. They would just sit there and talk, they wouldn’t even bring their books to study hall. Instead of getting study hall we should get more gym time. I mean, 45 minutes isn’t enough to actually exercise. By the time that we are done getting dressed we only have about 35 minutes left. Then the teachers instead of hurrying up the students, they’re over there having conversations with the other gym teachers . Then they take forever to take attendance. By then time they’re done explaining what were actually doing that day, we have like 25 minutes left of gym, not including the 5 minutes they give us at the end of the class period to get changed. 20 minutes is not enough time to run a gym class. We can’t exercise, sweat and take a shower in that little time and then the media complains that the students are obese. The method that some teachers have of teaching is absolutely awful. My Spanish teacher for native speakers was really nice and got along with everyone. All the students would talk so well about her, they would always say positive things about her. Probably because they never did anything while they were in her class. The only thing was that she was horrible at teaching. Well, it wasn’t that she was horrible at it, it was just that she wouldn’t teach anything. I remember she got sick and was out for three months. During that time we literally did not do anything. I remember that the substitute would just look at us and he would ask us what would we usually do, we would look at him, smile and answer â€Å"nothing†. Don’t ask why, but this was the second year that I had taken Spanish class with her, so when she came back she told us that most of us had been with her for two years so she would give us a grade based on what we had gotten the year before. I took that class to improve my writing in Spanish, to learn the proper grammar, but I did not achieve any of that. The English teachers weren’t as bad as the Spanish teacher, but we still didn’t accomplish much. The only time that I remember writing an essay in high school was junior year. Maybe it had to do with the school that I was in. My junior year of high school I went to Belvidere High School instead of Elgin High School. In Belvidere High the teachers were a little more strict, at least that’s what I thought. Until I found out that the only teacher that had ever assigned me to do an essay had been with one of the students. I was completely shocked because she had always been very professional about her job. Even though there’s a lot of negatives things with the high school that I went to, I still enjoyed every minute of it. I got to meet new people and experience new things. Sure my high school wasn’t the best, but I am still thankful that I received a basic education. The only thing that I do regret is not going to prom. I told myself that if no one asked me to prom that I wouldn’t go. Nobody ended up asking me so I didn’t go. I lost the chance to experience something that you only get to experience once in your life. So enjoy your high school while you can because once you are out, there is no turning back.

Social Causes Gender Roles Depression Health And Social Care Essay

Social Causes Gender Roles Depression Health And Social Care Essay Depression, either as a single depressive episode or as a recurrent depressive disorder, is a common mood disorder which is characterised by low mood, resulting in loss of interest and enjoyment, reduced energy and diminished activity. With increasing severity other symptoms such as reduced concentration, attention, self esteem and self confidence manifest, and physical symptoms may protrude, such as disturbed sleep and diminished appetite. These may accumulate in ideas or acts of self harm and suicide[1]. The gender difference in depressive illness, is one of the strongest patterns seen in psychiatric epidemiology [2,3,4,5]. Similar, albeit less strong gender differences can be seen through a variety of mental health disorders, typically with internalising disorders (of mood and anxiety) which are more common in women, and externalising disorders such as schizophrenia and substance abuse which are more common in men.[5]. Such a strong pattern, seen in many cultures around the world can help in the comprehension of depression, an illness that still evades human understanding [1]. The aim of this essay will be to help identify some key aspects of the social causes of depression and how they relate to gender roles within society. This will ascertain their importance in mechanisms that drive someone into depressive illness the gender role hypothesis of depression [5]. However the point of this essay is not to systematically review the scientific literature and identify the cause, but rather to explore the concept of how much gender roles in society contribute to this pattern. In the conclusion, it will allow us to see how changing gender roles, such as feminism, in modernising societies such as the UK, will impact on womens health. The essay will explore risk factors which relate to gender role where they have evidence to cause depression. Such factors are emotional attention, interpersonal relationships, personality, stress response, the impact of co-morbid anxiety and what are termed artefact hypotheses, such as gender biased diagnostic techniques. Sex and gender are terms that have become divorced since Dr Robert Stollers observations of gender being a social construct and sex being biologically determined. It isnt necessary for someone of a certain sex to inherit the same gender and same gender role [6] although in western society it is the norm. While this essay will look at the epidemiological pattern of depression through a social lens, it should be kept in mind that there will be a biological background that cannot be excluded. It can be argued, such as by John Nicholson, that the gender role itself has its development in biology or socio-biology, or gender role as developed by evolution of human behaviour (as proposed by E.O Wilson and David Barash). However, these ideas are not as widely accepted as the theories for socially determined gender roles[6] as put forward by Stoller and Ann Oakley. For the purpose of this essay, gender roles are a set of behaviours socially expected of someone conforming to a particular gend er. A key feature of the female gender role is emotional behaviour, with women being caring and compassionate, and men being dominating and aggressive [6]. This is of course an excessive generalization, but a recognised pattern, most likely influenced by sex of the person. However, it is important to note that there is a large overlap in emotional behaviour between the genders [7] but more specific to gender are those behaviours used to cope with life events. More emotionally sensitive women may present to doctors sooner, although this has been disproved at least once [8]. This is an artefact argument I shall come to later. Emotionally sensitive persons, who tend to display more depressive symptoms, may have impaired anti-rumination strategies [9]. Rumination is a method of coping whereby the person focuses on the depressive symptoms and the triggering event, rather than trying to distract themselves, for example with thoughts of good things to come. Research has found that rumination by more emotionally sensitive persons leads to a negative emotion spiral. Focusing on the negative thoughts and emotions leads to further negative thoughts and emotions. , By controlling for emotional attention in their study results, there was a non-statistically significant difference for gender and symptoms of depression [8]. This is further backed up by evidence that rumination exacerbates and prolongs depression and that women tend to ruminate more when sad or depressed, a trend seen from prepubertal childhood [2]. Another personality trait, such as neuroticism, has also been associated with depression. Controlling for it has been suggested to eliminate the statistical significance of gender and depression [10], and although there is suggestive evidence against this idea [2], it should not be dismissed entirely until more research is done. It could be argued however, that the coping style may be different due to the type of stress observed by the individual. A more significant life event may be harder to distract oneself from, and so easier to ruminate. A womans role may determine her to be exposed to more significant stressors, for example through her role as the homemaker. There may be problems affecting children, housing, fertility, versus issues which will affect men more (for example, through their role as the breadwinner) but occur less often unemployment and finance problems. Although evidence suggests that while men and women are exposed to different stressors, it is insufficient by itself to explain the gender difference [11,12]. Therefore, I feel that the evidence shows that rumination is an important risk factor for depression, and women ruminate more than men, due to their socialisation making them more emotionally sensitive. It should be noted that males and females may receive different stressors for dep ression outside of their gender role. For example, sexual and physical abuse, as an adult or as a child, may play a role in explaining the gender difference. If women are more likely to be abused as adults or as children, (this might become a risk factor towards depression later on), then this might help explain some of the pattern seen. Evidence for this suggests it might play as much as 35% [2] of the gender difference in adult depression. Another way gender role and stress may interplay is through interpersonal relationships. The traditional female gender role will imply that a woman will put in more effort to attaining more friends. Therefore the loss of interpersonal relationships will have more of an impact on the female than it would on the male. Evidence shows that it is the lack of relationship, rather than the support the relationship provides [12], is the more significant stressor, and so further proves the point. This is of particular importance when looking at adolescent mental health, a key time when the gender difference in depression is first seen [2]. It could be argued that the starting of the gender difference is due to a restriction of the adolescent female into her expected role[2]. This only adds to, rather than offers an alternative view point, that if the adolescent female loses some of her important relationships, she might feel more like she has lost an important part of her identity. There is evidence that loss of interpersonal relationships is a significant stressor in adolescent females, because they have invested more emotion and are more likely to blame themselves [13]. This can also help explain the link between Body Mass Index and mood disorders, where high BMI affects women more, possibly putting them at a social disadvantage [14]. However, it is hard to identify whether social disadvantage has encouraged the depression and hence higher BMI, or higher BMI has caused social disadvantage and so depression. I feel that it is probably the latter, as evidence on coping strategies provides little evidence that eating is a common coping strategy in depression [15]. However the two studies examined different populations, American and Japanese, which casts doubt on their results Another study looked at sleep disturbance rather than depression. It suggested that adolescent girls, being more sensitive to familial disruption and increased domestic and grooming expectations, had increased sleep disturbance [16]. This is similar to an argument that I studied earlier increased expectation of fitting into the role of the female gender will increase sleep disturbance. This positively correlates with depression as either a cause or a symptom of sleep disturbance [16]. Looking at other co-morbid conditions of depression may help to illuminate the role of gender difference in depression. Anxiety is frequently seen co-morbid with depression, especially in primary care, such that it has its own classification in the ICD-10[1]. It is therefore logical to think that any gender difference in anxiety (which can be seen[17]) could be linked with the gender difference in depression. Similar risk factors already discussed, ruminative behaviours and social network crises, predispose women to anxiety more than men[17]. I think this adds to the evidence of suggesting a common aetiology between depression and anxiety. Using gender roles, anxiety does not fit into the male gender role of being confident and aggressive, and hence goes some way to explain the gender difference in anxiety, rather than in depression. It would seem that mothers discuss different coping strategies with their children; for boys a more problem solving approach and for girls more emotional coping strategies to help deal with distress [17]. These coping strategies and depression in women[15], comply with my previous ideas and also help to explain the gender difference in depression. While evidence may suggest that anxiety and depression share a common aetiology, evidence also suggests that anxiety states are not part of the aetiology of depression [18,19] and so the gender difference in anxiety is just a reflection, rather than a cause of the gender difference in depression. Evidence suggests that in depression and its risk factors, that anxiety during adolescence, due to a difficult transition from the child to the adult, may make the woman more sensitive to depression after a triggering event[20]. A model suggested by Cyranowski et al, combining female gender socialization and the hormone oxytocin which intensify the need for interpersonal relationships, coupled with anxiety, might cause sensitivity to depressive events. There is a good fit of the evidence , bringing biological as well as psychological and sociological theories together. However, more recent evidence has shown that men and women are equally sensitive to triggering events[11,12]. A better idea is that anxiety and depression share a common aetiology. On the road to depression and anxiety, a fork in the road is approached, where the type of trigger or another risk factor not discussed, decides whether the person becomes depressed or anxious. However, some of the so termed artifact hypotheses may suggest that all the above research and studies are not finding any physical or real link between depression and gender, but rather that is a fault in the techniques in the data collection. Some suggestions that fit this hypothesis are that women are more likely to seek treatment for any illness, more likely to discuss a potentially stigmatising condition such as a mental health disorder or are able to recall symptoms better, and so doctors are more able to make a diagnosis. Alternatively, women are being overdiagnosed or men being underdiagnosed, as either the fault of the doctor or biased diagnosis techniques. It is also argued that substance abuse masks depression and anxiety in men [21]. Some quite surprising research suggests that there is no gender difference in the symptoms a male or female may present to indicate depression, and that men and women show no preference in stating that they feel emotionally down [22]. I have little confidence with this unique result, as the accepted idea and other evidence suggests otherwise [23].. Evidence suggests that substance and alcohol abuse are not the male equivalent to anxiety. Therefore, controlling for alcohol and substance use still leaves a significant gender difference[2]. However, in depression, it has been suggested as a coping strategy[15], and so it is not unconceivable to think that alcohol abuse, assumed to be an externalizing disorder, is in fact a coping mechanism for depression in men. If diagnosed as alcohol abuse rather than depression, this could make up some of the gender difference. However, what is more interesting, is the suggestion that diagnostic techniques are gender biased, especially Becks Depression Index. Two studies reached the same conclusion that items in the Becks Depression Index related to crying and loss of interest in sex gave an over-diagnosis and underestimation of recovery in women [21,24]. Crying is considered more congruent with the female gender role, and loss of interest in sex can occur outside of depression, especially in women, again fitting their gender role [24]. Therefore, to ensure correct diagnosis, the researchers suggest the use of the Goldberg Depression Scale rather than Becks Depression Index. This is troubling, as many of the research already referenced used either interviews by trained lay people or the Becks Depression Index, which casts doubt on the accuracy of the conclusions reached thus far. So to conclude, I have explored some of the risk factors for depression and their aspect as gender roles to help explain the gender difference in depression. There is some doubt cast upon this research and any other research done into the epidemiology of depression because of doubts over the Beck Depression Index bias. I still feel the evidence is strong enough to hold some meaning. On the other hand, differing gender roles is not a sole explanation. The example of child abuse is one of many outside the gender role hypothesis. There is plenty of room for other social, psychological and biological causes of depression and its epidemiological patterns not explored in this essay. A simple and brief conclusion would be to say that gender role is a part of a large mechanism of a multi-factorial illness. More research is required to ascertain the full answer to the question proposed by the title. Ideal research would be to re-analyse the epidemiological patterns in 10, maybe 20 years time. Then it could be assumed that gender roles would continue in their path to become more equal. Less of a difference between the genders and rates of depression and anxiety might be expected. There may also be less of a difference between genders and other mental health disorders. However, additional preliminary evidence can already help draw some ideas. Studying couples with a shared life event for example, women have been shown to be at a greater risk of depression if there was a traditional division of roles in the family[2]. One of the findings of the WHO mental health surveys [5] is that younger people have less distinct gender difference for major depressive disorder than older people. A correlation was found between less traditional gender roles and decreased rates of depression with increased rates of substance abuse. This suggests changing, modernising gender roles are resulting in decreased rates of depression among women. However, the increase in substance abuse is a cause for concern. The trend is towards equal gender roles, with the female gender role becoming more masculine, so bringing new health concerns. While fair gender roles within society as a whole, such as employment, may have a beneficial effect in protecting against depression [2], there is still an imbalance of roles within the home. This is reflected in how children are brought up and how they develop their coping strategies for stress. Therefore, gender roles have a large role to play in epidemiological patterns of depression, and in the aetiology of depression itself. As gender roles become more equal, it will result in better health for women in society, and while not the focus of the essay, it can be safely assumed a similar pattern can occur for men as well. Equality it seems can go a long way in reducing risk to disease.

Chips Are Down For Gambling Industry

Chips Are Down For Gambling Industry Recent events in global finance have impacted heavily on Australias gambling industry. As Australian consumes reduce their discretionary spending, gambling providers have witnessed a commensurate decline in revenues. The phenomenon is not limited to Australia, with gaming facilities in Las Vegas, Macau and Japan also reporting significant declines in revenues. This downturn has also revising profit forecasts for the future. The decline in revenues extends beyond casinos to other forms of gambling, such as Tattslotto, Keno and horse racing. Other forces are also challenging the viability of the industry, such as government moves to deregulate the industry, and the growth in online gambling, and the equine influenza outbreak. Q1: The general and environment conditions: Organisations have both an external and an internal environment. The external environment consists of two layers the general environment and task environment. General environment of broad dimension and forces in an organisation that created its overall context. The general environment of most organisations has economic technological, sociocultural political-legal and international dimension. The task environment specific organisation of group affects the organisation. It includes competitors customers, suppliers, regulators and increasingly, strategic allies. There are five parts in the general environment, economic. Global financial crisis challenging economic conditions, crown casino revenue is down and increased household cost so less money for gambling. Technological internet gambling does not need licence international. Trends in gambling decline in Las Vegas, Macau revenue down Political-legal government laws. There are five parts in the task environment, suppliers less on ever ything its competitors Q2: Porters Five Forces: Since the early 1980s, Michael Porters Five Forces (Porter, 1980) has brought break through for the concept of normal business strategy, and became the bible to guide business leaders nearly every industry effective implementation of strategic analysis. Five forces model is generic and applying sufficient to explain the behaviour of many different market. Peters five forces model views the business from outside. It focuses on assessing competitive position within industry. Peters 5 forces model, they are barriers to entry, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power if suppliers and rivalry among the existing players. Force 1: The extent to which switching costs and brand loyalty affect the likelihood of customers adopting substitutes products and services. The ease or difficulty with which new competitors can enter an industry. Barriers to entry, what measures are easy or how difficult. It is for new entrants into industries related to government policies and taxes, which require access to productive inputs and finance. Furthermore, patents branding and image also falls into this category. A barrier to entry is the only industry characteristics that determine industry. Barriers reduce the rate of entry of new firms, thus maintaining a level of profit for those already in the industry. Barriers to entry arise from several sources such as government created barriers; Patents and proprietary knowledge serve to restrict entry into an industry, asset specific inhibition of an industry scale and organization of the local economy. The possible use of patents and other resources owned property specialty firms (Porter, 1980, 1985) Forces 2: The extent to which switching costs and brand loyalty affect the likelihood of customers adopting substitutes products and services. Threat of substitutes, if a produce can be easily substituted, then it is a threat to the company because it can complete with price only. Therefore, price elasticity of products affected by substitute products as more substitutes become available, demand becomes elastic since customers have alternatives more. A close substitute product manufacturing capabilities of companies in the industry to increase prices. The competition engendered by a threat of substitute products from outside the industry. For example, the revenue of casinos is limited by financial crisis. Internet gambling itself started as a replacement of the casinos it provides other facilities and resources for similar services, or information (Kyle, 2002) Force 3: The degree to which buyers have the market strength to hold sway over and influence competitors in an industry. In general, when buyer power has strong associations with industry production is close to what an economic on a monophony a market which has many suppliers and buyers. Force 4: The number of buyers relative to suppliers and the threat of replacement and new areas affecting the relationship buyer-supplier and the power of the state provides virtually no current because the gambling industry is not bad consumers want to buy their machines. They can only be completed together with prices can prolong the life of their business but not for profit does not sell well and gaming machines. Forces 5: Intensity of competition between the increase in growth when industry demand, slow down, good products and prices. Rivalry among existing players. It analyzes the level of competition between existing players in the industry. In this force, it analyzes the speed of industry development, how your customers with your brand identity. Do you think the gambling industry is an attractive industry for new entrants? Gambling industry is always attractive to new entrant because it can earn big money. They always get money in and win as long as they have customers come to their business in a fair amount. It is big cheese cake but participant is limited due to capital, government legislation and regulations. At present, it is still attractive but people do not have enough confidence and requirement money to step in this industry. It needs sufficient capital to subsidize their operating business and start up of business life. They need good relationship elsewhere and government support to be able to open it. Recently, financial crisis has caused the decline of gambling industry. People spend less and gamble less. In fact they do not have strong financial standing and stable income, job as before. Furthermore, the increasing of internet gamble has become a big obstacle for gambling business as people tend to play though the net while sitting at home. There is no pressure or camera when playing at home. Consequently, at this stage financial world has gone down and affected every business around. It used to be a good market but not anymore at current stage. Its recovery is only better when peoples financial get better which they have more stable money to spend. Q3: Advice: I would like to advice the casino to offer same free products or services to the customers such as if there is a customer who plays a huge budget for gambling, the casino should offer a hotel bedroom for the customer. Due to the internet is flooding the market, the casino should advertise the advantages of gambling face to face in the casino, such as gambling face to face is much more stimulating. At the same time, point out the disadvantages of gambling on the interest such as gambling online may get hacked. How should they weather the storm of the global economic downturn? At the moment, it is a bad time for gambling industry but this does not mean an end to this industry. People in the industry whom own business face a huge chance of making loss but to be survive through this period, they have to be steady and liquidity. The might have to face corruption but if they use efficiency their money on other cash flow activities such as investing. For example, during bad financial period, people are inability to pay the household mortgage. Moreover, it could be good time to reduce cost and wait for the storm to be gone. In fact, they have to keep their own business in low performance as well. It would be a cut-off of wages, sections (if business is large and multifunctional). Flatten management level, reduce waste and increase efficiency. Do right thing for advertising to attract more customer. Business is a battle; to be able to survive other has to be terminated. However, self-development is required. They have to open more services or link to expand to ne w trend. Q4: discuss another organisation that has been impact on a similar way to the gambling industry by the current economic trends. Steel industry has been impacted on similar way to the gambling industry in the development of situation due to financial crisis is unshared in a positive factor. The financial crisis effects the real economy development and damaged to market confidence. The domestic economic slowdown in the growth of steel industry production growth rates a downward trend in steel exports. The domestic market caused by a certain degree of stress excessive market competition order irregularities are caused by factor such as domestic steel prices plummeted by the main factors. In addition, steel prices have fallen substantially by the impact of iron and steel production by price.

Mariquita: A Tragedy of Guam by Chris Perez Howard Essay -- Book Revie

Mariquita: A Tragedy of Guam by Chris Perez Howard The book entitled Mariquita A Tragedy of Guam was written by author Chris Perez Howard in honor of her mother Mariquita Aguon Perez. The book covers the pain and sufferings of Guamanians through World War II from the perspective of one family. The book covers a period of time a little under a decade, beginning in 1938 while Guam was under Naval Administration. The book starts off painting the image an Howard's mother Mariquita. She is depicted as somewhat a diamond in the rough, beautiful and one of a kind, even pointing out that she worked as a stenographer, an uncommon position to be held by women in this time period. The book goes on describing her daily life including spending much time with her friends, competing amongst each other in the latest fashions and watching the movies. The story goes on describing her acquaintance with a young soldier by the name of Edward Neal Howard that has an eye for her. Mariquita at first entertained the young sailor but hesitated to pursue any relationship with Eddie. Then one night coming out of the movies, a Marine yelled a racial remark towards Mariquita and Eddie, out of the crowd, defended Mariquita. That was the turning point, and they eventually begin dating, first in secrecy then soon after, they married. Mariquita and Eddie had two children, the first named Chris and the second named Helen. Japanese invaded and the war broke out in Guam right after the birth of Helen and Mariquita actually had to flee with her newborn into the jungle for safety. During Japanese rule Guamanians were forced to work. The Japanese also occupied any housing they needed. The Americans were forced to surrender and Eddie bec... ...dure their torture, then head home and play and laugh with her kids, it was like there were two people playing her role. The book gave very good accounts of the times surrounding war, but I think Howard's emotions skewed the story somewhat. This book goes against the canon in citing instances which were harmful to the Guamanians. Americanization for instance, indirectly told the people to lose their identity and their culture and opt for a more Westernized and modern set of values. Then goes the point of having separate schools and American only functions, U.S. treated the people of Guam as second class citizens. The book does a great job in capturing all this unfairness. All in all, the book seemed better as a romance novel to me, with a great many details, valuable details of World War II in Guam hidden in the background almost as a supplemental story.

Finding Yourself Essay -- Essays Papers

Finding Yourself Hidden under every cloak, every item of clothing, and all makeup lies a body. Under the skin of a body lies a soul, and a mind of thoughts. Reaching further we search for where the thoughts were born. As an embryo we are brought into this world, and raised by our creators. From them we are taught life. Depending on our parents or whoever is raising us we become a person, with thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ideas. Looking deeper it becomes clear that all idea’s exist from aspects we have learned. A single thought is also an embryo, born, and than created by it’s creator. Thoughts exist from teachers and learning and so we are taught the limits humans have, and the opportunities available, all of which exist only because they have been taught. Had the first teacher of life said humans can walk on water, than today’s reality would find us walking on water as a common means of travel. Is it possible that reality is made of thoughts, goals, and than achievements? Years ago when the first rocket took off from Earth astronaut’s were created. It was from a thought that reality changed and allowed for space travel. A thought provokes change, and further development for a race, but where did the thought develop? Almost everything a child learns they are taught. The world becomes a movie to watch and learn from, leaving parents and guardians to be the critic’s. Every child has the choice to become any of the things it observes be...

Outline and Asses the Feminist Explanations of Gender Inequalities

Outline and asses the feminist explanations of gender inequalities (40) Feminists believe that women are unequal to men, and the different groups think it is down to different reasons. Liberal feminists think it is because it is down to gender role socialisation. Marxist feminists believe it is down to capitalism. Radical feminists think women are not equal to men because of relationships within the home, and black feminist think they are unequal not just because they are women, but also because of their skin colour. All groups of feminists also believe that women are subordinated due to patriarchy, (the idea that males are dominant).Firstly, liberal feminists, such as Ann Oakley argue that gender role socialisation is responsible for sexual division of labour. Girls and boys are socialised in different ways. For example girls are encouraged to take on caring roles, which could lead to them having jobs such as nurses in the future. 3 agents of socialisation- the family, the school an d the media have an influence on the way boys and girls are socialised. For example, in the home there is manipulation and canalisation. Manipulation is when boys and girls are encouraged to play with gender specific toys. Canalisation is when specific behaviour is encouraged or discouraged.For example if a boy falls over and hurts himself, he is encouraged not to cry and to act in a brave way. On the other hand, if the same thing happened to a girl, she would be given more sympathy. Ann Oakley argues that there is still an expectation for women to take on the housewife/mother role. Because of this, it is more difficult for women to pursue careers as men do. Oakley also claims that employers expect women to play the role of housewife rather than pursue a career. This patriarchal ideology is justified by men through claims that women are more suited to caring roles because of their maternal instinct.However, recently some liberal feminists such as Sue Sharpe have been more optimistic . She has said that not all women take on caring roles because of their socialisation. They may react against their socialisation, or pursue a career. Secondly, liberal feminism has been criticised because it tends to assume that all women accept their gender identities in a passive way. Liberal feminism also does not take race or class into consideration. Marxist feminists believe women's subordination is down to the influence of capitalism. Women are seen as a reserve army of labour. ‘ Companies only hire hem when they really need them, and they do less important jobs than men, making them more disposable. Women change jobs more frequently than men, so are more vulnerable at times of redundancy, they tend to be less skilled, and capitalist ideologies locate women in the home. The reserve army of labour theory has been criticised as it fails to explain why there are women's jobs and men's jobs. It is seems to overlook the fact that patriarchy can be influential by itself. The Marxist feminists seem to imply that once capitalism is abolished, gender inequality will disappear, which might not actually be the case.On the other hand, Radical feminists, such as Elizabeth Stanko argue that women's inequality begins in the home, and then extends outwards in the rest of society. If a women is unequal in a relationship with her husband at home, then she is unequal to other men in wider society, e. g. in the government and the media. Radical feminists focus on power relationships between men and women in private. They claim that men exploit and control women within the home. They also claim that when the patriarchy ideology fails, (when women do not dress and act as they are told to) then men resort to domestic violence in order to control them.Therefore, it is not capitalism that controls and exploits women; it is men themselves within the home. Women are disadvantaged in the labour market because within the home they are forced by men to be housewives and mothe rs. However, Radical feminism has been criticised by Marxist feminist for focusing on just one source of gender inequality; the home. They don't take into account the fact that capitalism could be contributing to women being disadvantaged in terms of employment. Radical feminists have also been accused of being ethnocentric; i. . they assume patriarchy is the same in all societies and cultures. However this may not be the case if you for example look at patriarchy in Asian cultures and white cultures, it might be quite different. Black Feminism essentially argues that sexism and racism are inextricable from one another. Forms of feminism that strive to overcome sexism and class oppression but ignore or minimize race can perpetuate racism and thereby contribute to the oppression of many people, including women.Black feminists argue that the liberation of Black women entails freedom for all people, since it would require the end of racism, sexism, and class oppression. In conclusion, all feminist theories agree that we live in a patriarchal society. However the reason we live in a patriarchal society is commonly argued amongst feminists each believing that a different ting caused it. All the reasons are well backed up theories and all have been criticised, It could be said that all are correct and it is not just one of these reasons cause patriarchy but the combination of all of them.

Juvenile Recidivism Essay

Recidivism is when someone returns to the same behavior that they were previously doing (Unruh, Gau, & Waintrup, 2009). There are many factors that raise the risk of juvenile recidivism such as single parenting, and even when the parents become involved in drug use. When juveniles become high risk for recidivism it is important that the adults whether it be the parents, teachers or any adult in authority step in to help the juvenile to make better choices. By an adult taking an interest in the child it can prevent them from falling into a group that becomes high risk. From 1984 through 1997 a 71% there was a rise in crimes committed by juveniles that were also violent offences (Jenson, & Howard, 1998, p. 325). Recidivism is when someone returns to the same behavior that they were previously doing (Unruh, Gau, & Waintrup, 2009). Martin (2011), also states that recidivism is â€Å"†¦(the process of relapsing into criminal behavior)† (p. 306). According to Nijhof, et al (2008), â€Å"JUVENILE DELINQUENCY DOES NOT TYPICALLY BEGIN with delinquent acts. Rather, it begins with nondelinquent problem behavior† (p. 45). This paper will look at what could be the causes not only for juveniles committing crimes but returning to the behavior of recommitting repeatedly. There have been some studies that were done and findings have shown that from 1984 through 1997 a 71% rise in crimes committed by juveniles that were also violent offences. They also found that there are 200,000 people participating in gang activity in 79 of the biggest cities in the United States (Jenson, & Howard, 1998, p. 325). According to Johnson-Reid, Williams, & Webster (2001), â€Å"It seems more likely that the needs of these youths went undetected before juvenile court involvement for serious delinquent activities† (p. 219). With all the studies that were done, from African-American, to single parents, it was shown that when a child lives in a step family, they can still do well. The reason for this is socialization theory proves that it is an environment that the child can still grow in a healthy manner. The child is having its needs met in a naturing manner (Mullins, 2010, p. 13). Also if the parents aren’t married when the child is born, there are no effects on the child. The child is affected when there is no involvement from the father while growing up (2010, pp. 13-14). The first thing we want to do is look at is who may be at a higher risk for juvenile recidivism. There have been some researches that have shown that children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) could be likely candidates for the court systems that deal with youth (Johnson-Reid, Williams, & Webster, 2001, p. 214). Problems in academics can also be a contributing factor. For instance, if they are in classes where they may have learning disabilities, they may be at a higher risk and find themselves in the court system (Sander, Sharkey, Olivarri, Tanigawa, & Mauseth, 2010, p. 288). According to Sander, et al, (2010), â€Å"Negative school factors include high retention rates, frequent use of expulsion or suspension in discipline policies, infrequent use of positive behavior strategies, ineffective classroom management, poor teacher-student relationships, and weak school-community connections (p. 290). So when the student feels a lack of support from the school, this can lead them down paths of juvenile delinquency instead of causing them to want to do well. Juveniles with learning disabilities and emotional disturbance are becoming prevalent in the court and correction system. A study found that the number of offenders with LD was 35. 6% and the juveniles with ED that was in the corrections was 16-50%. These children had the most amounts of arrests which puts them at a higher risk (Chen, et al, 2011, p. 5). Another risk could be when the father is absent from the youths life and ethnic issues. When a child is growing up in an African American home and the father isn’t absent, the results are as negative as any other race. The father being absent plays a vital role in the behaviors of the children (Mullins, 2011, p. 16). When a mother is an active state of drug addiction it puts her child at a higher risk of psychological problems. A study has shown that the children don’t get medical treatment for the first two years of their lives, which is only the start of the maltreatment that they suffer (Callaghan, Crimmins, & Schweitzer, 2010, p. 223). Suchman (2010), states that â€Å"Parenting problems observed during the children’s first three years of life include poor attachment, responsiveness, adaptability, and structure juxtaposed with heightened physical activity, provocation, and intrusiveness (p. 483). What the child gets or the lack thereof can be from the mothers own problems from her childhood (Suchman, 2010, p. 484). When these mothers had poor parents themselves it gives them a distorted view of how parenting should be. This many times can lead to the mothers abusiveness and neglect for her own child plus the use of drugs on the mothers part (2010, p. 85). Poverty can play a role in problems that children can face. The lacks of medical attention, poor academic success, along with psychological difficulties are some of the challenges that these children face. The contributing factors that they face are drug use, criminal behavior, and not doing well academically. When these youth are constantly exposed to suc h unstable behaviors, it plays a vital role in the outcome of their own lives that can cause them to repeat the learned behaviors (Anthony, 2008, p. 6). Another risk factor for juvenile recidivism is when their parents’ divorce. The divorce can expose them to the difficulties that the parents are having and cause distress on them. (Elonheimo et al, 2010, p. 910). This breakdown in the family unit along with the lack of support for the children can be contributing factors. (According to Elonheimo et al (2010), stated that â€Å"Divorce often entails stressors such as parental conflict, poor child-rearing, changes in parental figures and residence, and reduced income† (p. 910). Some other factors that can contribute to juvenile delinquency can be when the child doesn’t get from the mom or dad what they need in a positive way. Many times the parents just don’t know how to parent in a productive and positive manner. Sometimes the criminal behavior can begin with the parent and it becomes learned behavior for the child. If one or both parents are abusive either to each other or the child it can become a contributing factor also (Latimer, 2001, p. 238). What’s in a name? It does matter what a person names their child. If the name isn’t a popular one then the child may become a delinquent or at least increase the chances. It’s when the home is already below poverty and the parents give their child a name that isn’t appealing that the juvenile may become at risk for negative behavior. The reason for this is because your name gives off a message to others and this is what they use to determine what kind of person you are, it’s that preconception that we all try to use when we meet someone we don’t know (Kalist & Lee, 2009, pp. 39-40). So if we are motivated by how others see us then how does that leave a child when they are viewed in a negative way by their peers, their parents and their surroundings? According to Calhoun, et al (1984), states that â€Å"†¦high self-concept was a product of favorable socialization and steered boys away from delinquency, while low self-concept was the result of unfavorable socialization and provide little resistance to deviancy, delinquent companions† (p. 324). Juvenile recidivism may not begin with who is to blame from the home, the environment surrounding them or even how the juvenile feels about them, but when a child goes from one delinquent behavior into committing negative criminal behavior repeatedly, it becomes more of a problem. This could come from how they are treated in the court system. In 1978 the New York State Juvenile Offender Act was passed and the effect on the courts was profound with the way that the courts treated juvenile offenders. For instance, in the late 1970’s when there were some murders committed by juveniles that drew a lot of attention, the courts used this to cut down on delinquency. The attitude from the people towards juveniles became punishing (Jenson & Howard, 1998, p. 327). According to Jenson & Howard (1998), â€Å"Legislation enabling states to transfer more juveniles to the criminal justice system has had negligible effects on youths’ violent crime rates (p. 328). By incarcerating juveniles with adults it puts them at a higher risk for many side effects. Many of these side effects can include, the juvenile being depressed, and problems with their mental health (Ng, et al, 2010, p. 21). It has been determined that when a juvenile is placed in a prison with adults, the experience is overwhelming for the juvenile. They don’t learn to not commit the crimes but instead they learn an increased amount of criminal behavior from the adults they are with. They are also pushed around by not only the adult inmates but also from the guards that are supposed to be in charge. They are subject to many offences from the adult prisoners in which they can basically do nothing about (Ng, et al, 2010, p. 30). The way that juveniles are treated by the court system also plays a part in how they react to either repeating the crimes or staying out of trouble. According to Vermeiren, et al, (2004), â€Å"Juvenile arrest and court policies range between two extremes: the justice model’, which emphasizes threat to punishment, and the welfare model’, which aims at treating underlying psychosocial causes† (p. 567). Many times it is up to the people dealing with the youth as to what their fate may be. There are factors that can be considered which are how old the youth is, how many is in the group, what color is the skin of the youth, economic status, what the policies are for that area on juvenile delinquency, and how much the police are watching that specific place where the juvenile is picked up from (Vermeiren, 2004, p. 567). So it can be a matter of a juvenile being in the wrong place at the right time for them to get caught. It could be that the youth is influenced by a group of kids to do something that they would not have normally done. If policies can change from being hard on the youth to being involved with the youth to set up programs to change their lives then the rate of recidivism may decline. According to Callagan (2011), â€Å"Regular and frequent parental support and education, as well as medical and developmental reviews for the infant, have been found to be vital in ensuring a positive parent-child relationship, and optimal physical and emotional development (p. 224). So if the child isn’t getting what it needs from the beginning then it is likely that it will affect it for years to come. For substance using mothers that have been found to have abusive or neglectful behaviors towards their children, it was found that the mothers can change their parenting behaviors towards their children. The lack of attachment that is between the child and mother can change by the mother receiving counseling. These changes can occur in a limited amount of time (Suchman, et al, 2010, p. 501). Options for juvenile delinquents aren’t just putting them into prison but instead it’s protecting them from becoming at risk in the first place. According to Jenson & Howard (1998), ‘Communities can prevent delinquency by designing programs that address known risk factors for antisocial behavior† (p. 331). If we begin to deal with these juveniles at an early stage of their lives it is more likely that the risk factors can be reduced instead of waiting till the problems are already there. What they gain from their academics can make a difference also. If their academics are of a poor quality then that can put them at a higher risk of juvenile recidivism (Chen, 2011, p. 15). Some form of punishment is needed when it comes to juvenile delinquent behavior, but it should be appropriate and helpful. According to Ng, et al (2010), â€Å"While they should be punished for crimes committed, the repercussions of punishment in the form of damage to mental health could have long-term consequences that in the end translate into burdens for the society (p. 32). There are many ways of helping juveniles even after they are in the system and have a criminal history. A form of mediation called Family Group Conferencing or FGC. This is where the offender and the family and the victim would have someone who mediates between them. The outcome many times is to bring restitution emotionally and maybe even materialistically (Baffour, 2006, p. 557). When trying to help someone who has a history of criminal behavior it is important to do it in a way that it will be beneficial. According to Baffour (2006), â€Å"Three major paradigms have been advanced to address criminal treatment strategies: retribution, rehabilitation, and restoration (p. 559). We first look at retributive, where the criminal will have punitive consequences for their behavior. Then we want to make sure that they get rehabilitated as much as it is possible, whether it be drug abuse treatment, therapy for them and for their family. We also want them to know that what they did was wrong and they should have accountability for what they did. This will entail the victim being involved with getting help also (Baffour, 2006, p. 559). One way of intervention for juvenile recidivism is to place the youth into a program that has a limited time for them to stay. This would be a program that is community supported versus placing the youth into a residential treatment program. While the youth is in the program they would receive help that included the whole family. For the juvenile that went willingly there was a decrease in juvenile recidivism as compared to the ones that were made to go somewhere without their consent (Latimer, 2001, p. 244). When looking at the issues with black males and how they cope with having fathers that aren’t involved in their lives, there are some that seem to do well with it and some that don’t do as well. A 25% incline of homes without fathers is on the rise within the 40 years. Some of these homes have not only the influence of the mom but also the grandmother. According to Cartwright, et al, (2012), â€Å"The absence of fathers is a major factor in many issues such as crime and delinquency, premature sexuality, poor educational achievement, and poverty, which have negatively impacted society (pp. 29-30). So with that being said a study followed five males that were African American. These males were found to be in college and grew up in homes without the father present. Looking at what made the difference for them that didn’t work for many others that end up being repeat offenders in the system (2012, p. 31). What made the difference that was made for these males that others may of not or maybe they didn’t have enough of it. According to Cartwright, (2011), â€Å"†¦(a) a male role model or mentor, (b) a supportive mother, (c) wanting to achieve an education, (d) respect for their fathers, and (e) resiliency (p. 34). For a boy to have a male role model that can be positive can be important because there are things that they aren’t able to say to their moms that having a male in their life can make a difference (2012, p. 34). These young men are aware of how they are viewed by the people around them because they are black. Much of society’s influences come from what they see on television. It is important for these men to not be the way society sees them but instead to be the way they want to be and show society that they are different (2012, p. 35). The respectfulness that they felt for their fathers could have been what kept them from feeling anger that many young men feel when their fathers aren’t present in their lives (2012, p. 36). By teaching young black children that don’t have a father in the home that they can obtain an education it can help to get them on a right track (2012, 38).